The Forgotten Boy
by Kallanit
Summary: Harry's twin brother is regarded as the Boy-Who-Lived. No one is aware of Harry, whose very existence has been forgotten, except by the Potter house elves. When Severus Snape finds out about Harry, he sees this as a chance to escape Dumbledore's control. Captivated by the little boy, he takes it upon himself to give Harry the father he needs. SS/HP father/son relationship.
1. Chapter 1

I had an idea for Harry being forgotten and ignored in favour of his twin. After I toned it down to a more reasonable level — it was a bit extreme to begin with — I realised that I didn't want to write a Wrong-Boy-Who-Lived story, going through all the Hogwarts years. (There are already so many stories like that out there that are far better than anything I could come up with.) Rather, I simply wanted Harry to have a loving home.

When I read the HP books for the first time, I kept thinking, _Where are all the adults?_ That thought kept running through my mind like a mantra. I realise that JKR wrote the books for young adults and that the main protagonists therefore had to be approximately the same age as her target audience, but the callous negligence shown by the adults at Hogwarts regarding both the emotional and the physical health and well-being of the children in their care appalled me, as did the way that almost the entire wizarding world in Britain seemed to prefer moaning about the evil Dark Lord instead of actually getting up off their collective backsides and doing something about him. Choosing to leave it all in the hands of a child (all right, young adult!) who they treated like dirt half the time, was unforgiveable. Dumbledore knew about the Horcruxes probably from the time Harry got his scar and certainly after Harry showed him the destroyed diary and yet he didn't seem to do very much to track them down and destroy them. It took until Harry's sixth year for Dumbledore to find any, and yet, once they put their minds to it, Harry, Hermione and Ron managed to find all the rest in just a matter of months, with only a few obscure hints to guide them.. So this wrong BWL story isn't about Harry taking care of Voldemort. Nor is this story full of drama. Rather, it's a testimony to Harry gaining a father who refuses to let a child do what the adults should have done in the first place.

.o.O.o.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, don't own it — I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR and not to me; I'm just playing in her sandbox.

**Author's Notes:**

» Severus changes his name during the story. However, to make it easier to understand, I'll continue to refer to Severus by the name we all know. The only times his new name will be used is when his introduces herself to new people, or when someone is speaking to him and addresses him by name.

» At the time of writing, it's unclear if Charlus and Dorea Potter are James Potter's parents. In this story, I'm subscribing to the theory that they are, hence the name of the supposed Boy-Who-Lived.

» This story is has been written in full and will be posted at the rate of approximately one chapter a week.

» Thank you to atokkota for her support and feedback.

.o.O.o.

**CHAPTER 1**

Severus Snape strode into Albus Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts.

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" he asked in his silky voice.

"Ah, yes, Severus. Have a seat. Sherbet Lemon?" he replied, offering the dish of sweets.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Headmaster, I have several potions to brew for the infirmary between now and the start of the school year. If you could please just tell me what you want, so I can get back to my brewing?" he said through gritted teeth. Albus Dumbledore rarely showed any consideration for the plans or wishes of others. At least with most people he pretended to be genial, the benevolent grandfather, but he never cared to do so with Severus. Why bother? Albus Dumbledore owned Severus Snape and both of them knew it.

"Of course. Tomorrow is young Charlie Potter's fifth birthday. I would like you to attend his party with me. His parents will be taking him on holiday at the weekend — I will be accompanying them for the first week — but upon their return at the end of August, his training must start. Simple spells, which require little power, of course. He is, after all, only five. However, the Boy-Who-Lived must be trained."

Severus grimaced and Albus immediately expressed his displeasure. "You swore an oath, Severus," he warned, all signs of amiability gone.

"And I have not refused your orders, Headmaster. However, while my oath compels me to obey, it does not compel me to be gracious about spending time with Potter senior and Black," he replied tersely.

"Now, you really must learn to forgive and forget, Severus," the Headmaster said patronisingly, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Will that be all, Headmaster? I would like to get ahead on my brewing, if I am to spend tomorrow at the Boy-Who-Lived's birthday party."

Severus stood and swept out of the office, his robes billowing behind him. As he made his way back to the dungeons, he was fuming. Forgive and forget? Sirius Black had tried to murder him but had received no punishment, not even a token slap on the wrist. And he was supposed to pretend it had never happened?

The animosity between Severus Snape and his nemeses, Sirius Black and James Potter, stretched back to the day they first met, when they were eleven years old, and the Hogwarts Express was taking them to their first year of school. His crime? Wanting to be sorted into the House of Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. Potter and Black had teamed up with two others to torment him and had made his schooldays a living hell. None of the staff had stepped in to stop them bullying Severus, even though the odds were an unfair four-to-one, and it had been made very clear to the young boy that he was neither as important nor as worthwhile in the eyes of the staff as his tormentors.

Fourteen years later, relations between them had not improved and Dumbledore, who still favoured his golden Gryffindors, loved to twist the knife into Severus at every possible opportunity. There was no need for Severus to attend the Potter child's birthday party the following day. Meeting him could easily wait until he returned from his holiday, but Dumbledore took great pleasure from the fact that Severus had no choice but to do his bidding and he never passed up the chance to torment the younger man.

Severus Snape had made one terrible mistake in his life. After Black had tried to kill Severus, after Dumbledore had made it blatantly obvious to the frightened boy that his life held no value in Dumbledore's eyes, Severus had become ensnared by the only people who ever made him feel in any way welcome or accepted, the only people who had ever deemed him worthy of even the merest modicum of common courtesy: the Dark Lord, Voldemort, and his Death Eater followers. Severus had realised very quickly what a mistake that had been but when he turned to Dumbledore for help, he had been cruelly repulsed.

It was not until he overheard part of a prophecy and he took it to the Dark Lord that Dumbledore had listened to the desperate young man. The only part of the prophecy that Severus had heard had been: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies_.._._¹

Severus had thought the prophecy had referred to an adult who had been born at the end of July, a powerful wizard with the ability to defeat the Dark Lord, one who was coming to Britain to destroy Voldemort. Even the reference to the vanquisher being born to those who have thrice defied him did not make him think otherwise, as the Dark Lord had been quietly gaining followers and power for a long time. Indeed, the Dark Lord had spent several decades wandering the world, learning Dark magic, and it was entirely possible that an adult wizard from overseas might have parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Severus had therefore had no qualms about taking what he knew of the prophecy to the Dark Lord, secretly revelling in the flicker of fear he had seen in the vicious madman's eyes.

It had not occurred to Severus that the prophecy might refer to a child who had not yet been born and when he realised that his childhood friend, Lily Evans — now Potter — and her family had been targeted by the Dark Lord as a result of this prophecy, he had approached Dumbledore. The Headmaster, the only person Voldemort had ever feared, had made Severus debase himself. He had literally crawled to the old man, begging him to save Lily. He had understood that Dumbledore would never believe Severus would want him to save the entire Potter family — the bad feelings between James Potter and Severus Snape were too deep and Dumbledore had never believed Severus could possibly have any goodness in him — but, in reality, he wanted the whole family to be saved for Lily's sake. She had been his childhood friend, even before Hogwarts, and although their friendship had ended, Severus still had a fondness for her and simply wanted her to be happy. And so he had shown Dumbledore what he wanted to see, making him believe that he, Severus, was in love with Lily and only wanted her to be saved. Dumbledore despised him even more for that but Severus knew he had no other options.

Severus Snape had been bound with an Unbreakable Vow to work for Dumbledore as his spy, to bring about the downfall of the Dark Lord, to do Dumbledore's bidding. The Potters had hidden behind a special ward: the Fidelius Charm. Only the Secret Keeper could give away their location. Unfortunately, they had trusted the wrong person and had been betrayed, the Secret Keeper leading the Dark Lord right into their home. Their son, Charlus Evan Potter, had supposedly defeated the Dark Lord when he tried to kill the then fifteen month old infant, his killing curse apparently backfiring on the Dark Lord himself. Dumbledore did not believe that the Dark Lord was gone for good and he kept Severus bound to his service, ready for the return of Voldemort.

Dumbledore had wanted to add a second Unbreakable Vow, forcing Severus to protect the Boy-Who-Lived, but Severus had protested. "What if there is an emergency and I have to act to protect the child in a way that contravenes the first oath? I may not always have time to get your permission. Not only would it kill me but it could put the child in danger."

With the safety of young Charlie Potter in mind, Dumbledore had accepted this reasoning — although not without making Severus sweat over it first — and had cancelled the first oath. The self-proclaimed Leader of the Light had then made Severus swear a second Unbreakable Vow, which still had him bound in servitude to Dumbledore but which put the protection of the Boy-Who-Lived ahead of anything else, even his service to the older man. It was not as much freedom as Severus would have liked but even that little bit of leeway was more than he had expected.

The following day, a reluctant Severus Snape flooed with Dumbledore to the Potter home. "Albus, welcome!" James cried. "Snivellous," he added rudely, seeing the other man standing behind Dumbledore. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked Severus to come. I want to start training Charlie after your holiday and I thought it would be good if he could first meet Severus in an informal setting."

"Well, come on in, Albus. Charlie is through here," said James, guiding the old man to the room where the party was and completely ignoring Severus.

Severus sighed, rolling his eyes at the other man's juvenile behaviour. _Of course, Albus doesn't say a word to Potter about it. His precious Gryffindors can do no wrong,_ he thought resignedly.

Half an hour into the party, Dumbledore had left but had instructed Severus to, "Stay and enjoy the party, dear boy."

Severus had not dared leave immediately behind Dumbledore, as the old man would take note of how long he had stayed at the party, but to his relief, was ignored by all the other guests. Knowing that he was an unwelcome guest, Severus quietly sneaked out and went looking for the library, intending to read a book to pass the time until he could leave without repercussion. As he searched Potter Manor for the library, he felt a strange pull on his magic and followed it. Arriving in the kitchen, he decided to ask for a cup of tea. The only drink served at the party had been pumpkin juice, a beverage that Severus found nauseatingly sweet.

"How can Gillie help sir?"

Severus looked down at the house elf who had approached him upon his entering the kitchen. "A cup of tea, please," he replied.

The elf looked at him apologetically. "Master and Mistress don't wants hot drinks served in the party in case they spills and hurts the childrens," she explained.

_Of course not. Never mind that old Madam Longbottom is probably gagging for a cup of tea as much as I am,_ he thought. _There are charms they can easily use to prevent any spillages and to insulate the cups to ensure the childrens wouldn't be burnt if they touched them._ _No respect for their guests._

"What if I sat and drank the tea here in the kitchen, Gillie?" he suggested. "I won't be missed from the party, I assure you."

The little elf smiled and nodded and moments later, a cup of tea was sitting on the table in the kitchen for him.

"Thank you, Gillie," he said to the elf appreciatively as he took a sip. "This is delicious."

The elf beamed at him. "You is very welcome, sir."

As Severus sat quietly enjoying his tea, in his peripheral vision, he noticed a movement in the corner of the kitchen. Severus could feel himself being watched and, glancing over surreptitiously, he saw a little boy with a mop of messy black hair and bright green eyes poking his head out of a cupboard. _That child can only be a Potter,_ he thought in astonishment. _He's the spitting image of James but he has Lily's eyes. Who on earth is he? He's not the Boy-Who-Lived. That brat is busy being spoiled rotten at the party._

Pretending to be unaware of anything going on around him in the kitchen, he listened in amazement as the house elf slipped over to the little boy and admonished him. "No, Harry No-Name. You must stay in your cupboard, you musts."

_Harry NO-NAME? In HIS CUPBOARD? What is going on here?_ Severus thought in consternation. He was not aware of a second Potter child — in fact, he doubted anyone was — and yet this little boy ducking back inside the cupboard was undoubtedly James and Lily Potter's son.

With a growing alarm, he asked the elf, "Gillie, who is Harry No-Name and why is he in the cupboard?"

The little elf pulled on her ears in distress. Severus could see that she wanted to answer but it was too ingrained in house elves that they must keep their Masters' secrets.

"Gillie, you are a very good elf and I know you keep your Master's secrets," he said gently and Gillie nodded gratefully. "Is Harry No-Name a secret? Has your Master told you not to talk about him?"

"No, sir," she squeaked.

"So can you tell me about him?"

"Harry No-Name is Master Charlie's twin, sir, but Harry No-Name lives with the elveses," Gillie explained quietly.

"Why does Harry live with the elves, Gillie? Why do you call him Harry No-Name?" Severus questioned, trying not to show his horror.

"Gillie is a good elf, sir. Gillie cannot speak badly of her Masters," she whispered.

"Gillie, are you bound specifically to Master James or to the Potter family?" Severus asked carefully.

"Gillie is bound to the Potter family, sir, but Harry No-Name is not a Potter."

"How is that possible if he is Master Charlie's twin? He is the very image of James Potter."

"Gillie cannot say, sir."

Severus sighed. He could, of course, just ignore the little boy but his magic kept nudging him and he had learned to trust his instincts. "Gillie, is there anyone else who can tell me about Harry? Mr Black or Mr Lupin, perhaps?"

Gillie shook her head frantically. "Not Mr Blacks or Mr Lupins, sir."

"I see. Well, perhaps I could talk to Harry?"

"No, sir," she squeaked in alarm. "Harry No-Name doesn't speak to peoples, sir. Harry No-Name only talks to elveses."

"And all the elves are bound to the Potters," he sighed in frustration.

At that, Gillie looked up hopefully. "There is one elf, sir. If you calls for Dobby he can talk to you."

Severus frowned. He had heard that name before. "Why would the Malfoys' elf talk to me about Harry?" he asked in bewilderment.

"When Master Charlie and Harry No-Name were born, Dappy was bound to Master Charlie and Dobby to Harry No-Name. When Master decided he didn't need so many elveses and sold Dobby, he didn't breaks the bond with Harry No-Name. The bond with the Malfoys didn't takes properly because Dobby is still bound to Harry No-Name. Malfoys don't realise but Dobby can breaks the bond with them at any time, to be with Harry No-Name."

"And because Dobby is bound to Harry personally and not to the Potters, and Harry is not a Potter, Dobby can talk freely," said Severus in understanding.

When Gillie nodded her head, Severus called for the other elf. With a crack, Dobby appeared before him.

"How can Dobby helps?" he asked, bouncing with excitement.

"Wait a moment, Dobby," said Severus. "Gillie, are you able to warn me if anyone is coming towards the kitchen? I'd like to talk to Dobby undisturbed."

"Gillie can do that, sir."

"Thank you. You have been very helpful, Gillie. You're a very good elf." The little elf beamed at his praise and Severus turned to the other elf. "Dobby, I need you to tell me about your Master Harry."

"Master Harry is Master Charlie's twin, sir. When the bad man came to hurt the Potters, Master made a big blast of magic. Dobby felt it. The bad man was destroyed. Master was magically drained and he was unconscious in his cot. Headmaster Whiskers came and heard Master Charlie crying and he didn't notice Dobby's Master."

"Sweet Nimue! Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived, not Charlie?" Severus whispered and Dobby and Gillie both nodded.

"Elveses know this," Dobby said.

"What about his parents?"

"Potters don't remember Dobby's Master Harry," explained Dobby sadly. "They were busy taking care of Master Charlie after the bad man came, and didn't have time for Dobby's Master. They told us elveses to care for Dobby's Master while they made sure Master Charlie was all right. But they forgot all about Dobby's Master and never asked to see him again. Anytime Dobby's Master cried in his cot, they tended to Master Charlie instead and didn't bother about Dobby's Master anymores. Dobby took care of Master from that night. Dobby fed and washed and tended to him. When Master Charlie was moved out of the nursery to a proper bedroom, the nursery was made into a playroom for Master Charlie and there was nowhere for Dobby's Master, so Dobby brought him to the kitchen where the elveses live. Gillie takes care of Master Harry for Dobby now."

This made a lot of sense to Severus. The Unbreakable Vow which Dumbledore had made him swear had not referred to Charlie Potter by name, rather it had bound him to protect and nurture _the Boy-Who-Lived_. This explained the pull on his magic, drawing him to the kitchen where young Harry lived with the house elves, having been forgotten by his family. Obviously, magic had decreed Harry's living situation untenable — which an appalled Severus agreed with wholeheartedly! — and his oath needed him to take action.

"Dobby, if your bond with the Malfoys has not taken hold, why do you stay there?"

"Dobby can't stay with Potters and Dobby thinks it isn't safe for nasty Malfoys to know about Master Harry, so Dobby hasn't told them about his real bond."

"Very good. That's very wise of you, Dobby. Gillie, Dobby, I would like to meet Harry, please."

The elves looked at each other uneasily and Severus explained. "I know you've been taking very good care of him but he hasn't been seen by a human in nearly four years. I want to do a quick health check on him, just in case there's anything that elf magic can't help with."

"Master Harry has bad magic in him. Elveses can't fix it," said Dobby sadly.

"Bad magic?" asked Severus in puzzlement.

"In his scar," Gillie explained.

"What scar?" Severus asked.

"The one the bad man gave him that night," said Dobby quietly.

"Will you bring Master Harry to me, Dobby?" Severus said to the little elf.

Dobby nodded and he and Gillie went to coax Harry out of the cupboard. The Potters never entered the kitchen and the little boy did not remember ever seeing a human before. The man was so big! He frightened little Harry.

Seeing this, Severus sat down on the floor, so that he would be on the same level when the child was standing between the two elves, instead of looming over the apprehensive little boy. "Hello, Harry," he said kindly. "My name is Severus."

Harry eeped with fright and tried to hide behind Dobby. Severus was appalled to see that the boy was barefoot and dressed in a pillowcase, just like the house elves.

"It's all right, Harry. I just want to talk to you," said Severus as gently as he could.

Dobby encouraged the boy to step forward. "Harry-Elf doesn't talk to the Masters," he whispered.

Severus' eyes opened wide. The boy thought he was an elf? _Of course, he has no reason to think otherwise,_ Severus realised. _He's probably never even seen himself in a mirror to know that he's different._ He took out his wand and showed it to mop haired little tyke. "Do you know what this is, Harry? It's called a wand and I can do magic with it. Look." Severus used the wand to shoot bubbles around. He popped one and Harry giggled when it made a little pinging noise.

"Did you like that?" Severus asked with a smile and Harry nodded his head enthusiastically. "Let me make more bubbles for you and you can pop as many of them as you like."

While Harry was busy popping bubbles, Severus surreptitiously ran a quick diagnostic check on him. Reading the results, he frowned.

"Is Master Harry all right, sir?" asked Dobby anxiously, seeing the frown.

"Yes, he's fine, Dobby," Severus sighed. "I had hoped to find a Notice-Me-Not or Confundus charm on him. Something — anything! — to explain why his parents have forgotten about him. I don't think there's a charm on them; too many people have forgotten all about Harry. It has to be something do with him, only I can't see anything."

"Dobby couldn't find anything like that either," said the elf.

Severus nodded and did another diagnostic, this time looking for the Dark magic that the elf had mentioned earlier. Sure enough there was a large concentration of Dark magic on the boy's forehead. By this time, Harry had finished popping all the bubbles and was sitting on the floor next to Severus, giggling happily.

"Did you enjoy that, Harry?" he asked. "I'm glad. Perhaps I'll come and visit you another time and give you more bubbles to play with?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically again and Severus carefully stretched out a hand to stroke Harry's hair. Pleased to see that the little boy did not flinch away, Severus casually brushed aside the hair from his forehead and, sure enough, there was an angry, red scar. Harry cuddled into Severus' embrace and closed his eyes. Severus could not resist and lifted Harry onto his lap, letting the boy sleep in his arms. Surprisingly, when Harry's forehead brushed against Severus' left forearm as he moved the little boy into a comfortable position, Severus felt a tingle in his Dark Mark. _Something is very wrong here. I need to fix this,_ he thought, his uneasiness over the entire situation increasing.

"Why is Harry dressed in a pillowcase?"

"Potters don't give clothes to Harry No-Name. Elveses can't take clothes," Gillie explained.

Severus sighed. House elves were not allowed to own clothes. It was a symbol of their servitude. Giving clothes to an elf signified that the elf was being freed, something the house elves regarded as a deep disgrace. To bond with and serve their families was too deeply ingrained into their very being and elves who had been freed usually lost the will to live. Very few free elves survived for more than a few years without bonding with a new Master.

"Gillie, when the Potters go on holiday in a few days' time, what will happen to Harry? He won't be left alone here, will he?"

"No, sir. Potters is taking elf Dappy and elf Pipsy with them. Gillie is staying behind to care for the Manor. Gillie will be looking after Harry No-Name."

"Gillie, Dobby, what would you think of me taking Harry away from Potter Manor and raising him as my son?" Severus asked.

"Harry No-Name is not a Potter," Gillie repeated.

"So you won't object if I take him away and give him a home?" Severus asked, just to be sure.

"Gillie thinks it will be very good for Harry No-Name to have a father and a home," the little elf replied decisively.

"Very good. There is nothing I can do to help Harry today. There are too many people around and I have preparations to make. When the Potters have gone on holiday, Dobby, I will summon you and I will ask you to bring Master Harry to me. You, of course, will be welcome to stay with us, since you are bonded to Master Harry."

Dobby began to bounce around in excitement. "Dobby will be very pleased. Sir is a great wizard to be taking my Master and giving him a home."

Severus smiled at the hyper little elf. "Dobby, you must go back to the Malfoys until then. You must act as you always do and make sure they do not suspect anything untoward."

"Dobby will not do anything to harm his Master, sir. What should Dobby call sir?"

"My name is Severus Snape. You may call me Master Snape."

Dobby stopped mid-bounce. "You is friend of the bad Malfoys!" he yelped.

"No, Dobby," Severus hastened to reassure him. "I'm not a friend of the Malfoys. I pretend to be their friend, like you pretend to be their elf. Once I take Master Harry away, I will no longer do that. I give you my word. I promise I won't do anything to hurt Harry. Will you trust me with him? Remember, you will also be with us and can protect him from me if you think it necessary."

Dobby looked at the Dark wizard for a long minute, as though assessing his sincerity. Eventually, he nodded. "Dobby will trust Master Snape."

"Thank you, Dobby," Severus replied. "Now, you must go back to Malfoy Manor until I call for you and I must go back to the party before I'm missed." Dobby popped away and Gillie levitated the sleeping boy back to his cupboard. Severus clambered up off the floor and looked down at Gillie. "I'm sorry to be taking Harry away from you, Gillie. I know you care for him."

"Yes, Master Snape. Gillie cares for Harry No-Name. Gillie will miss Harry No-Name but Gillie is pleased Harry No-name will be gettings a proper home. Harry No-Name can't stays in the cupboard."

"I don't know if you're ever permitted to leave Potter Manor for any reason but you would be welcome to visit Harry if you can."

Gillie's large eyes filled with tears. "Thank yous, Master Snape," she said sincerely.

Severus nodded at her and then made his way back to the party. As he slipped in, Sirius Black finally noticed him.

"I thought you had left, _Snivellous_," he said belligerently. Severus was glad to see distaste on the faces of some of the other guests at Sirius' obnoxious behaviour. He noticed that, as always, James' and Sirius' best friend, Remus Lupin, just stood aside and watched, without trying to restrain Potter or Black. Remus was a werewolf and, given the prejudice against werewolves in wizarding Britain, was so grateful to have any friends at all, and was so scared they might turn against him, that he never had the courage to speak up against the odious pair.

"As you may recall, Black, Dumbledore ordered me to stay. However, I will gladly take my leave now," Severus sneered.

"Where have you been? Why have you been wandering around my home?" demanded James.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I went outside for some fresh air," he lied. "I did not think I would be missed. Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you farewell." Severus bowed graciously in the direction of the other guests and then walked back out into the entrance hall, James Potter very obviously following him to make sure he actually left. Rolling his eyes at the boorishness of his nemesis, Severus took a pouch out of his pocket and extracted a pinch of floo powder, not for a moment believing that he would be permitted to use the Potters' supply as their other guests would. It was regarded as polite manners to provide floo powder for guests' use when leaving your home but James Potter did not deem Severus worthy of any sort of courtesy or politeness.

"_Incendio,_" Severus intoned at the fireplace and when it lit up, he threw the floo powder in. "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts," he announced and, stepping into the fireplace, was whisked away.

.o.O.o.

¹ _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"Ah, Severus," said Albus, looking up from his paperwork, as Severus appeared in his fireplace. "How was the rest of the party?"

"I met Charlie Potter, was ignored, spent some time in the garden getting some air and came back," was the rather curt reply. _Wait for it,_ he thought. _Let's see the kindly disappointment._

Sure enough, Albus Dumbledore did not let him down. "I had hoped you would make more of an effort, Severus," the older wizard said disapprovingly.

_I can't believe he actually thinks the fake, sad grandfather act actually works on me,_ Severus thought scornfully. "I shall when Potter and Black make the same effort. Or am I supposed to thank them for calling me _Snivellous_ in front of their guests? Try telling them to grow up, Headmaster, because I can assure you that their usual churlish and uncouth behaviour towards me did not go unnoticed and it did _not_ make a good impression. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get some more brewing for the hospital wing finished today as I have errands to do tomorrow."

"And what might those be? You are needed here this summer, Severus."

"I'm low on certain potions ingredients and I prefer to select my own ingredients rather than rely on the inferior ingredients the apothecary's idiot shop assistant will no doubt select for me, so I shall be stopping in at Slug &amp; Jiggers. I would also like to make a brief stop off at my home; there are some books I will need from there if you wish me to help train the Potter brat. I will probably also undertake some other business while I am in Diagon Alley. It would no doubt be best if I did all my errands tomorrow, so that I will not need to leave the premises while you are on holiday."

"I see. Yes, that would indeed be best, Severus. Well, I have much work to complete if I am to leave on holiday this weekend, so I shall leave you to your brewing."

Dumbledore turned his attention back to his paperwork and Severus made his way back to his chambers, his mind whirling as he planned what he would need to do over the next few days. The Unbreakable Vow that Dumbledore had forced upon him required him to protect the Boy-Who-Lived above all else and his instincts and his magic were telling him very strongly that this meant taking Harry Potter far away from the influence of Albus Dumbledore.

The little boy had struck a chord with the dour man, whose heart had warmed when Harry had cuddled up to him so trustingly. Severus knew how Dumbledore had treated himself when he was alone and vulnerable and he did not want to see Harry in the same situation. Charlie Potter had powerful and influential parents and godparents to look out for him; Harry No-Name did not. The Potions Master was not sure what Dumbledore would do if he ever found out about Harry but he was sure it would not be in the child's best interest.

Regardless of the prophecy, which Severus now knew in greater detail than he had done when he took it to Voldemort, the former Death Eater did not think it right to place the burden of killing the Dark Lord on a child's shoulders when there were available adults who were more than capable of taking on that responsibility in his stead. Severus had no proof, but he suspected that Dumbledore was setting up the Boy-Who-Lived to die a heroic death should the Dark Lord ever return, and a second Potter son would not fit in with his plans. This did not sit well with the man who had sworn to protect the Boy-Who-Lived and he fully intended to train the boy to survive. As for Charlie Potter, well, if the Dark Lord did return, Severus could always find some way of warning the Potters to be wary of Albus Dumbledore's plans.

Severus immediately wrote a letter to his Account Manager at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which he sent off with his raven, Bran. In the letter, he informed Ironfist that he would like to meet with him on Saturday and he would appreciate it if Ironfist could put aside the whole day for this purpose. A goblin Healer should also be on standby, as Severus would be accompanied by a minor who would need to be checked over by a goblin Healer. Paranoid about secrecy, the dark man culminated his letter with a request for a portkey directly into Ironfist's office, as the utmost discretion was required. Fortunately, Dumbledore and the Potters were leaving for their holiday on Friday evening and would be long gone before Severus escaped Hogwarts on the Saturday morning.

The following day, Severus did his errands in Diagon Alley, before making his way to his home in Spinner's End. Once safely behind his wards, he called for Dobby.

"How can Dobby help Master Snape?" the exuberant elf inquired.

"Dobby, I would like your help on Saturday to pack my belongings at Hogwarts. I can't pack before then, as the Headmaster might visit my chambers and become suspicious. Are you able to enter the school without the Hogwarts elves knowing?"

"Yes, Master Snape. Dobby can do that."

"Good. Then I'll call for you to collect Master Harry and bring him to me. We'll be at Gringotts, where a goblin Healer will check him over and see what they can do about the Dark magic in his scar. While that's happening, I would like you to pack up my belongings, both at Hogwarts and here. Everything must be removed from both locations on that day. The only things I wish to take from here are my books. From my chambers at Hogwarts, I want my Potions equipment and ingredients, which I will pack myself on Friday evening and leave in a trunk in the bedroom of my chambers at Hogwarts, and my books and clothes. Here is money to purchase some library trunks for the books. Do not shrink the books as it might damage them, so buy as many trunks as you need. The trunks themselves can be shrunk after they've been packed."

"Yes, Master Snape. Dobby will do that," said the elf happily, pleased to be given orders without the violence that always accompanied commands from the Malfoys. The arrogant Pure-blood family looked down on magical creatures and, consequently, did not treat their elves well; kicks and hexes were commonplace.

"Very good. Please can you go and ask Gillie to measure Master Harry for clothes and shoes and bring the measurements to me. Then you should go back to the Malfoys until I call you again."

Sending Dobby back to the Malfoys, Severus stopped to consider where they would live. He needed a property with the strongest possible wards, well out of Britain. Well, that was easy. One thing that no one knew about him, not even Dumbledore, was that he had inherited his maternal family's property and vaults overseas. The property in Britain was a crumbling ruin, which he had decided to leave to the elements. Thanks to this red herring, the wizarding world assumed he had not inherited the Prince estate and Dumbledore was the only person who knew Severus had in fact inherited the British holdings. Dumbledore was not interested in the manor and Severus had managed to transfer the monies out quickly, before Dumbledore thought to ask if Severus had inherited any wealth, so when Severus informed him that his vault held only had the money he earned himself, Dumbledore believed him. However, Dumbledore had refused to allow Severus the most valuable part of his British inheritance, namely the Prince seat on the Wizengamot. Upon Dumbledore's insistence, Severus had therefore named the old schemer as his proxy because the Unbreakable Vow permitted no other option. However, while the British branch of the Prince family had been impoverished, the substantial Prince fortune and main property were overseas, in Switzerland, and unbeknownst to Dumbledore, Severus had inherited it all, as the only remaining member of the House of Prince. The idea of the clean, fresh, mountain air appealed to Severus and he thought that his peaceful estate in the Swiss countryside would be the perfect place to raise Harry.

Just like in the Muggle world, the magical world also acknowledged Switzerland as completely neutral. This meant that the Swiss Ministry would not hand him over to Dumbledore or to the British Ministry should Dumbledore ever discover where he was and come after him, since magical Switzerland held no extradition treaties with any other country. Gringotts in Switzerland had the magical equivalent of Muggle numbered bank accounts, which no Ministry could touch, not even if the account holder were convicted of a crime or died without heirs, and Severus had transferred all the Prince estate to such an account as soon as he came into his inheritance, leaving only his earnings in his vault in London.

When Dobby popped back with Harry's measurements, Severus went to do some shopping. Harry desperately needed clothes. Putting on some of the Muggle clothing he kept at his home in Spinners End, he apparated to Manchester city centre and went shopping. Entering an appropriate department store, he snagged a sales assistant for advice.

"Excuse me, Miss. My five year old son has just come to live with me full-time and I need a completely new wardrobe for him but I'm not sure what to buy. Would you mind helping me, please? I'm willing to put myself in your hands completely."

"Of course, sir," she said with a smile, leading him over to the children's department. She idly wondered why his son would need all new clothes but decided it was not her place to question this. _He's probably had a growth spurt and has outgrown his clothes,_ she thought. Picking up a basket, she started selecting trousers, shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, socks, underwear, pyjamas and a coat. She also picked out some shoes, sandals and slippers, using the measurements Severus had handed to her as a guide. "I've chosen a selection of different types of casual clothes, with one or two smart outfits. A little boy who'll be running around getting dirty when he plays needs more casual clothes than smart ones. They all wash easily and wear well," she assured Severus. "Does your son have any toys or books?"

_Of course the boy will need mental stimulation,_ he thought, appreciating her suggestion. "No, he doesn't. Can I buy these here?"

"You can buy a few things here but you'd be better off going to book and toy shops rather than a department store," she replied, mentioning a couple of names. Seeing the lost look on Severus' face, she continued. "I don't know your budget but for toys, to start off — you can always get more things later — I'd suggest Duplo or Lego, basic building blocks, jigsaw puzzles, toy vehicles, action figures and animals — dinosaurs always seem to be popular with little boys — perhaps a soft toy to cuddle up to in bed, colouring books, crayons and coloured pencils, paints, maybe _Play Doh_ or _Plasticine_ or some other kind of modelling clay, some toys or games that will make learning his letters and numbers and how to tell the time fun, possibly even a child's musical instrument. Also some outdoor toys, like a football, smaller bouncy balls, perhaps a tennis or badminton racquet, maybe a bubbles kit, a bike or a pogo stick. If he hasn't ridden a bike before, stabilisers might be a good idea. Perhaps also a swing or slide or climbing frame, maybe even a trampoline. The toys should be labelled with the recommended age group but I'm sure you can ask the sales assistant for advice if you need it. The books should also be divided in the shop according to age group."

Severus nodded, grateful for the recommendations he received from the helpful shop assistant, especially her thoughtfulness in suggesting that Harry might like to cuddle up to a soft toy in bed. Not having had toys himself as a child, Severus really was out of his depth here. He thanked her for her help and advice and after paying for the clothes and a soft, knit blanket in a multitude of brightly coloured patchwork squares for Dobby to wrap the boy in when he collected him from the Potter home, he went to the nearby bookstore before apparating to Toys'r'Us. Trying not to gape too obviously at the vast array of toys and games, he now understood what the shop girl had meant when she said her suggestions were just an initial starting point. Making his way through the unfamiliar environment, he gathered together the recommended toys and games, even some of the big items like a swing, climbing frame and trampoline, as they would encourage a little boy who had spent his life in a cupboard to run around outside and be active. Of course, it helped that he could apply safety and cushioning charms, so that Harry would not hurt himself if he used the outdoor toys unsupervised.

Standing in front of a selection of cuddly toys, Severus paused. He had intended to pick up a simple teddy bear but out of the corner of his eyes he saw a fluffy, plush, snowy owl. Something about it clicked within him and, without questioning his gut feeling, he reached out to add that to his cart instead of the bear. _He probably doesn't know what a bear is anyway but I imagine he will have seen post owls,_ Severus reasoned.

Shopping complete, he apparated back to Spinners' End and changed back into his usual wizarding robes. He packed all the things for Harry into a holdall that was in a cupboard, adding extension charms to it so that everything could fit inside. He then shrank the holdall and tucked it in his pocket, before making his way back to Hogsmeade, where he stopped off briefly at the Hog's Head Inn and had a quick word with its proprietor, Aberforth Dumbledore, and with Ambrosius Flume, the owner of Honeydukes. From there, he returned to Hogwarts, carrying the basket of potions ingredients he had purchased at Slug &amp; Jiggers. Arriving back in the school, he was met by Dumbledore and was very grateful that the holdall with Harry's things was safely hidden inside his pocket.

"You were rather a long time, Severus," the Headmaster said disapprovingly.

Severus repressed a sigh. "I took the opportunity to do some maintenance on my house while I was there. There was a broken window, some tiles missing on the roof and a few other things that had to be dealt with sooner rather than later. As it's in a muggle area, I had to deal with it using muggle means, which took some time. It's all complete now, though."

"I see. And you will not be leaving the premises while I am away?" the old man said warningly.

"No further than Hogsmeade," Severus replied. "Unless you plan on keeping me prisoner here?"

"Oh, Severus," Dumbledore sighed, laying on the guilt trip yet again. "I do wish you wouldn't be so antagonistic all the time."

"You want me to be all warm and fuzzy? I'm sorry, Headmaster, but if you recall, I have a role to play, and I can't afford to break character. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

Without waiting for a response, Severus swept past Dumbledore and headed down to the dungeons. His life under the control of Albus Dumbledore was fast becoming intolerable and Severus would be very glad when he finally managed to get away from the man who was as big a tyrant in his own way as the Dark Lord. Severus spent the following day trying to avoid the Headmaster and breathed a sigh of relief when the meddlesome old man had finally departed that evening. Once Dumbledore was safely out of the way, Severus quietly packed up his potions lab, secure in the knowledge that with the Headmaster out of the castle, no one would come looking for him. He left the rest of the packing for Dobby, as the little elf would easily be able to do it all with a snap of his fingers. He had wanted to pack his potions stores himself as some of the items should not be packed with magic.

Late that night, Severus sneaked into Minerva McGonagall's office, having first disabled her wards. He wanted to see the Book of Names, which was in her possession because she had to send out all the school letters. Searching through the entries for those who would begin their schooling at Hogwarts in 1991, he was saddened to see that Harry Potter was not listed. Instead there was a listing for Harry-Elf No-Name, formerly Harry James Potter (disowned). _ Potter's lack of acknowledgement of the child must have had the same effect as magically disowning him. Potter and Lily said so often that they only had one child, that magic must have accepted that as fact_, he realised.

Severus was not certain if the portkey he had received from Gringotts would pass through the school's wards and, not wanting to alert Dumbledore of his escape, which would happen if he crashed through the wards, no matter how far away the old meddler was, he made his way out of the castle by foot the next morning. Even though it was early, he was still stopped by Minerva McGonagall.

"Where are you off to, Severus?" she asked sternly, her tone demanding an answer.

Knowing that she would report to Dumbledore, he heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Since we're on holiday at the moment, I'm going to try and behave like it for a while and get away from the school for a couple of hours. I'm going to have a leisurely breakfast at the Three Broomsticks and then indulge myself at Tomes and Scrolls bookshop before returning to this infernal castle. Now, if you will excuse me, Minerva."

Ignoring her pursed lips, he made his way down to Hogsmeade, where he did indeed have breakfast at the Three Broomsticks. A few minutes before his timed portkey was set to go off, he paid for his meal and ducked into an alleyway. Seconds later he felt the familiar pull in his stomach as he was whisked away by the portkey. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was in a private meeting room at Gringotts.

"Good morning, Master Snape. It is good to see you but I thought you said you would be accompanied by someone else?"

"Good morning, Ironfist. Thank you for giving me your valuable time today. If you will excuse me for one moment. Dobby!" he called. With a pop, the elf was in front of him.

Pulling the blanket out of his pocket, he gave the elf his instructions. "Please go and get Master Harry. Wrap him in this blanket and bring him here — you'll need to unshrink the blanket first. Then, please follow the instructions I gave you the other day. Once everything is packed, please come back here. Oh, and Dobby? I know that you did not truly bond with the Malfoys but whatever shreds of bond there may be, please break them now."

"Yes, Master Snape," the elf squealed and disappeared. A minute later, the little elf was back with the small boy, wrapped up in the new blanket. Severus knelt down in front of him. "Hello, Harry," he said gently. "Do you remember me?"

Harry nodded. "Master is bubble man," he said. "Harry-Elf likes bubbles."

Severus pulled out the holdall from his pocket. "May I have your permission to use my wand to unshrink this," he asked his Account Manager.

Ironfist nodded, waiting patiently for an explanation while Severus dealt with the little boy. Severus unshrunk the holdall and pulled out the snowy owl plushie, to which he had already applied an _Impervious_ charm so that it would not get dirty. "I brought you a present, Harry. Would you like to play with this?"

Harry looked up at him with big eyes. Severus smiled at him and the little boy tentatively took the plushie from him, eyes wide with wonder as he held the owl tightly in his arms. As he reached out to take the plushie, the blanket fell from around his shoulders. Severus spread it out and sat Harry down on it with the owl. "Will you be a good boy while I talk to Ironfist?" he asked and Harry nodded his head, beaming with delight as he cuddled the soft toy.

"Harry-Elf is a good boy," he said.

"Yes, you are," Severus agreed warmly. Patting Harry on the head, Severus moved aside with the goblin.

"Why is that child wearing a pillowcase? Why does he call himself an elf?" the goblin growled.

"I was at Charlie Potter's birthday party last week and sneaked off for a cup of tea in the kitchen. There, I discovered Harry in a cupboard. When I questioned the Potter house elf, she informed me that..." Severus told Ironfist everything he had discovered about Harry Potter.

"I checked the boy for every type of charm or curse that I could think of to explain what has happened but found none. The only thing is the Dark magic in his scar and I don't believe it would have that type of effect. It would appear that in the aftermath of the Dark Lord's attack on the Potters, his parents were so concerned with the twin who Dumbledore decreed to be the Boy-Who-Lived that they completely forgot all about the existence of Harry." As Severus finished his story, Ironfist let off a string of curses that had the dour man lost in admiration. He sat and listened politely to the goblin, very much in agreement with the sentiments being expressed.

"So what are you planning to do about this, Master Snape?" Ironfist inquired through gritted teeth.

"I would like the goblins' assistance with a number of tasks. Firstly, I would like him to be checked over by a goblin Healer. I doubt he has seen once since he was a baby and there's very strong Dark magic in the scar on his forehead.

"Secondly, I would like to adopt him. Since no one knows that the Potters had a second child and, in fact, they tell anyone who asks that Charlie is an only child, it would appear that according to magic, Harry is not a Potter, despite the Potter blood running through his veins. The Potter's elf has confirmed he's not a Potter, as has the Hogwarts Book of Names, so there should be no impediment to the adoption.

"Thirdly, I would like to fake my death in order to take Harry to my family estate in Switzerland. However, I'm tied by an Unbreakable Vow to Dumbledore and as long as that bond exists, he will know I'm alive. I know that Unbreakable Vows can't normally be unbound without the agreement of both parties but there was something strange about this one. Filius Flitwick was the bonder and it didn't feel like wizard's magic. I know he doesn't venerate Dumbledore as an infallible saint like the rest of the wizarding world seems to do and I have a feeling he might have used goblin magic so that it could be unbound without Dumbledore's agreement. The problem is that Dumbledore Obliviated him immediately afterward and he therefore doesn't remember anything about the bond. I would like it to be examined to see if it can be unbound. If so, I'll need an explosion at my house in Spinner's End. I want the old man to believe I was running away from his control and that breaking the vow killed me. Dumbledore will believe I died if the vow is shattered at the same time as the house explodes. It's important the damage be such that Dumbledore won't expect to find my body — perhaps the house should be completely incinerated, with nothing but ash left. The house next to mine is empty and boarded up, so it doesn't matter if that sustains some damage but the house next to that is occupied and I don't want that to be damaged. I need the expertise of the Goblin Nation to achieve such a controlled yet devastating explosion and I want only goblins to be involved; your human employees should not find out about this. I trust the Goblin Nation but I'm not sure there are any humans I trust right now.

"Fourthly, I would like my Dark Mark to be examined to see if that can be removed. Fifthly, I want new identities to be established for myself and Harry. Finally, I have here my last Will and Testament, which was written on the first of August and was witnessed by Aberforth Dumbledore and Ambrosius Flume, leaving everything to my 'cousin,' Rennard Benedict Prince — the name I have chosen for my new identity. I want the Will to be actioned immediately upon my 'death,' before Dumbledore has a chance to try and suppress it and claim my estates."

"Why would Dumbledore do that?" asked Ironfist, busy making notes.

"Because he would see it as his right. He has already forbidden me to take up my seat on the Wizengamot and forced me to make him my proxy. I want to reclaim that seat. The Will states that not only does the seat now go to my 'heir' but the proxy is in abeyance, pending instructions from that self-same Rennard Prince."

"I will summon a Healer and a Curse Breaker to examine young Harry and yourself," said Ironfist, with a nod.

"Please, they must be goblins. Despite their loyalty oaths to Gringotts, I can't be sure that your human employees won't somehow manage to find a way to tell Dumbledore about seeing me here today."

Ironfist pressed a bell and gave instructions to the younger goblin that came running in. The goblin disappeared and Ironfist turned to Severus, who was checking on Harry. "Why have you not dressed him in clothes?"

"I brought some with me but I wanted you to see with your own eyes that he was wearing only a pillowcase before I tried to dress him. I am also concerned it might scare him, since he has no recollection of ever having worn clothes before. I could, of course, give him a Calming Draught but I don't want it to interfere with whatever the Healer might need to do to remove that Dark magic from him. That is more important than clothes right now."

At that moment, two more goblins entered the room. "Master Snape, these are Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike."

Severus greeted the goblins and sat down beside Harry while Ironfist rapidly explained the situation in his own tongue. Explanation over, Severus picked Harry up and sat down on a chair with Harry on his knee while the goblins examined the little boy. Harry was apprehensive of these fierce looking creatures and shrank into Severus' embrace. Fortunately, Dobby had returned by then and he used his bond with the little boy to calm him. The goblins first did a heritage test to clarify that Harry James Potter had indeed been disowned and was now Harry-Elf No-Name, then they began to run some diagnostics on his health. As the goblins examined Harry, Severus could see their anger growing.

Their examination finished, Severus gave Harry to Dobby. "Please keep Harry busy, Dobby, while I talk to Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike. There are more toys in the holdall, if you need them." Dobby nodded and took the little boy back to the blanket that was still stretched out on the floor.

Severus approached the three goblins, who were conferring angrily in a corner. "May I ask what you have found?" he asked, politely but firmly.

Ironfist nodded. "It seems that Harry has a piece of the Dark Lord's soul inside him," he snarled.

"How is that possible?" asked Severus in consternation.

"Have you ever heard of Horcruxes?" Ironfist asked.

"No. I don't believe I have."

"They are abominations. A wizard named Herpo the Foul created the first one many centuries ago. It's a container in which a piece of ones soul is stored in order to attain immortality. It anchors the soul to earth if the body is destroyed. To mutilate ones soul thus makes the one perpetrating this abomination less than human."

Severus listened in growing horror. "Can you remove it? Will it harm Harry if you do?" he asked frantically.

"We can indeed remove it. We will simply transfer it to another vessel and then destroy that. It may hurt Harry when we do so, as it will not want to release its hold on the boy and will therefore struggle to remain within him, but we will give him a Sleeping Draught and he will not feel the pain," Healer Cutwell reassured him.

"That explains why Dumbledore is convinced the Dark Lord will return. Can you tell from that if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named made more than one of these abominations? The Dark Lord used to talk about having gone further than anyone in achieving immortality. Perhaps he was meant that he had made several Horcruxes," said Severus.

The goblins looked at each other uneasily. "To make even one is an offence against nature. To have made multiple Horcruxes is..." Words failed the Healer.

"Yes, we can do that. Such abominations cannot be permitted to exist. We shall check for more Horcruxes before we destroy this one," said Curse Breaker Sharpspike sharply.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Severus breathed a sigh of relief on hearing that any other Horcruxes could be traced. This was something outside his ken and the former Death Eater would not know how to find them otherwise. One thing Severus was certain of, however, was that the Dark Lord would have created more than one. Before dealing with that, however, there was another issue to take care of.

"Please could you check my Dark Mark to see if it can be removed? I believe the Dark Lord linked his marked followers to him magically through the Mark and it wouldn't surprise me if when he dies, we all do, too. Either way, I want it gone, if at all possible. I'd truly appreciate your expertise on this."

Severus rolled up his sleeve and showed his Dark Mark to the goblins. Curse Breaker Sharpspike and Healer Cutwell examined it carefully, running multiple tests upon the Mark.

"You are correct, Master Snape," said Sharpspike eventually. "When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named dies, all his marked followers will indeed die along with him."

Severus looked at the goblin in surprise. "I didn't think the Goblin Nation feared the Dark Lord's name, the way wizards do," he commented.

Sharpspike sneered. "No, we do not fear him. But what better punishment for one who seeks eternal glory than for his name to be forgotten?"

"A fitting legacy indeed," Severus agreed with a smirk. The goblins were correct: there was little that would pain Voldemort more than his name being erased from history.

"The good news is that we can remove the Mark, however, we will not be able to do so today," Sharpspike continued. "Do you know what a blue moon is, Master Snape?"

"I believe it refers to the second full moon which occurs in a single month," he replied, not understanding why this was relevant.

"Approximately," said Sharpspike. "That is a modern simplification of the old definition², which refers to an additional full moon within a single season. In older times, each moon had a name, such as Harvest Moon, and the extra moon was called a blue moon so that the other moons would be moved out of their correct place within the season. What has long since been forgotten is that there is magic in a blue moon and, luckily for you, the next blue moon will take place on the thirtieth of August this year³. Deep below Gringotts a perpetual fire burns. High above this fire, there is a crevice through which the night sky can be seen. When a blue moon shines on the fire, the fire glows blue. Anyone who enters the Sacred Blue Moon Fire with pure intentions will be purified by it and their souls will be cleansed. This fire will remove your Dark Mark, Master Snape."

Severus looked thoughtful. "Will it hurt? I don't ask for myself," he added hastily, as the goblins sneered. The Goblin Nation was a race of warriors and they had nothing but contempt for those who feared pain. "I'm worried that once you remove the Horcrux from Harry, there may still be a residue of lingering after effects — bad dreams, if nothing else. If the fire will not hurt him, I would have him enter it with me, so that he may also be cleansed," explained the concerned Potions Master.

"That is a wise decision," said Cutwell approvingly. "No, Master Snape, Harry will not be harmed. For one thing, your Harry seems particularly innocent, perhaps due to having been raised by house elves. Apart from that, according to our lore, a child can only enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire at the behest of the parent — they cannot take that decision upon themselves before they reach the age of maturity — and it is therefore the parent's reason for the child to enter the fire that will be judged. Are you willing to be judged on Harry's behalf, Master Snape?"

"Yes, Healer Cutwell, I am," Severus replied firmly. "I know what it is to be discarded by society and I don't want him to grow up damaged and with no sense of self-worth, as happened to me. I want only the best for him."

"Master Snape, you said that you wish to adopt Harry magically? If you enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire with Harry, with the desire in your heart to become his father, to love him and protect him, then the fire should remake you both as father and son," said Ironfist.

Severus smiled in delight at that thought. "Then that is what we shall do. If you could remove the Horcrux today, we will return on the thirtieth of August to enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire of the Goblin Nation, with your permission of course."

"Permission is granted, Master Snape," said Ironfist formally, bowing his head.

"The Goblin Nation honours me," he replied, bowing his head in return.

Formalities over, the goblins got down to business. Account Manager Ironfist produced a pensieve and asked Severus to place his memory of the bonding of the Unbreakable Vow inside it. Ironfist and Sharpspike examined the memory and exited the pensieve triumphantly. "You are correct, Master Snape. Master Flitwick did indeed infuse the bonding with goblin magic and we can most certainly unbind the Vow. We will send a team to your home now to prepare the explosion and they will notify us when it is ready, so that the explosion and the breaking of your Vow will take place simultaneously."

Ironfist barked orders and Sharpspike left to set it all in motion. When he returned a few minutes later, he had a crystal with him. "We need you to infuse this crystal with some of your magic. It will be the focus of the explosion and will cause your magical signature to be registered at the site."

Severus grinned an evil grin. "I will be spending the next month in my family's primary estate, which is unplottable and is protected by the strongest of wards, including a Fidelius Charm, of which I am the Secret Keeper, that having fallen to me when I inherited the estate. My magical signature cannot be traced while within the wards. I assume that after I enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire, my magical signature will change? Excellent! This means that Dumbledore will not be able to use my magical signature to find me. After I have been cleansed and purified by the Sacred Blue Moon Fire, I will then get a new wand which will be attuned to the new me and destroy my present wand, so it cannot be used to trace me either." Severus suddenly sobered. "Unless the Sacred Blue Moon Fire doesn't accept that my intentions are pure, of course. Rennard Prince had better make a Will to ensure Harry's safety should I perish in the flames."

Tapping his finger on his lips, Severus pondered who to name as Harry's guardian. His first choice would have been Filius Flitwick, as he was the only person Severus came close to trusting, but it was likely that with his partial goblin ancestry, the Ministry would not permit Filius' guardianship. Besides, with Filius being an employee of Hogwarts, that would put Harry right under Dumbledore's interfering, meddlesome nose. Minerva McGonagall was too close to Albus Dumbledore and Pomona Sprout too easy-going to stand up to him. Lucius Malfoy was still a dedicated Death Eater, despite his public persona claiming otherwise. Augusta Longbottom might be a good choice, but her son and daughter-in-law were sycophants of James and Lily Potter. _Amelia Bones might be a good choice,_ he thought. _She's rising up the ranks in the DMLE and is known to be extremely just and fair. The problem is she would be a single parent in a dangerous job. No, she won't do either.⁵_

As Severus continued to think, an idea struck him. Turning to Ironfist, he asked, "Is it possible for me to do a wizarding blood adoption of Harry now and then back it up with the adoption through the Sacred Blue Moon Fire?" Ironfist nodded and Severus continued. "I'll do that then, so that I'll have the right to take Harry into the Sacred Blue Moon Fire with me and so that I'll have the right to name a new guardian for Harry in case it should be needed."

Healer Cutwell produced a vial, which the Potions Master recognised as the blood adoption potion. Quickly adding three drops of his own blood, he went over to Harry. "Would you give me your hand, Harry?" he asked the child. When Harry obediently raised his hand, Severus magically numbed Harry's finger and pricked it with a pin, gathering three drops of Harry's blood into the vial as well."

"Harry-Elf has owie?" the little boy asked curiously, examining his finger. Not feeling any pain, he was not distressed.

Severus waved his hand and the finger was immediately healed. "No, Harry. There's no owie now," he said and the little boy turned his attention back to Dobby and the plush owl, which he had not stopped cuddling since Severus had given it to him. The dark man smiled at the small child. "Good boy," he said kindly, ruffling his hair.

"The blood adoption potion will most likely cause physical changes in him, which could be painful. Seeing as you are going to put him to sleep while you deal with the Dark magic in his scar, I suggest that we give him the blood adoption potion at the same time," Severus said firmly.

"Give him the blood adoption potion first," mused Cutwell. "It will strengthen him and his magic. Harry is vulnerable now because he has no ties."

At a word from Ironfist, Severus had Dobby gather together the toys, which Harry had spread out on the blanket, and replace them in the holdall. Shrinking the holdall and tucking it back in his pocket, Severus then wrapped Harry in the blanket again. With the little boy in his arms and Dobby in tow, he followed the goblins to their shielded ritual chamber. Ironfist made sure to escort the party of three through the passages usually used only by the goblins, so that no wizard would see them.

Once inside the ritual chamber, Severus sat Harry down on a stone altar that was in the centre of the room, while the goblins set up shields to combat any magical backlash that may occur. "Could you tell if there was some kind of curse or charm on Harry to make his parents forget about him?" Severus suddenly remembered to ask.

"No, there was nothing of that nature," replied Sharpspike. "And you are correct that because it is not only his parents who have forgotten about the child, anything of that nature could only have been cast upon him. Nothing of that nature could have been cast on the Potter home either, as it wouldn't work outside the boundaries of their home."

"Could the Dark Lord have placed some kind of modified Fidelius Charm on the boy? No... I can see him so that can't be it."

"You have a Dark Mark," said Sharpspike slowly.

Severus pursued that line of thought further. "So you think something like that could have been cast on the child, with a provision for those with the Dark Mark to register his existence?"

"It's possible, but between your blood adoption of Harry and the ritual of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire, Harry will be reborn and, hopefully, that will cancel any such charm upon the child. If that is what happened," replied Sharpspike.

"But we don't know for sure that's the correct explanation or if we'll be able to cancel it," Severus huffed. "I'll run some Arithmantic calculations and do some research on the Fidelius to see if that's what could have happened. I thought the Dark Lord went there to kill the child but I suppose it's possible he could have intended to turn the boy into a Horcrux instead. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had reason to believe that Harry could defeat him and so, like any Slytherin, he would have prepared a backup plan. The Dark Lord may have figured that if he were in fact defeated by the boy, then turning Harry into a Horcrux and possessing him, using him to return, would be a fitting revenge. Only when the Killing Curse backfired, or whatever it was that happened, instead of possessing him, the Horcrux was somehow deflected and became lodged inside a scar instead. If the Dark Lord planned to turn him into a Horcrux, I can easily see him casting a modified Fidelius on the child in order to protect him — or rather, the Horcrux within him."

"It's a reasonable hypothesis," agreed Sharpspike. Of course, they would never know for sure what happened that night or why Harry had been forgotten but, based on the few facts they did actually have, it was fair to assume that the theory might perhaps be more than mere conjecture.

Severus nodded and turned his attention back to the boy. "Harry, I want you to drink this," he said, handing Harry the vial with the blood adoption potion. "It tastes nasty but you need to be a good boy and drink it. Will you do that for me?"

Harry nodded and took the vial. The little boy quickly drank the potion and handed the vial back to Severus, screwing up his face at the nasty taste. "Icky," he said.

Severus chuckled, and kissed his soon-to-be son's head, before handing Harry a second vial. "One more," he said. With the taste of the first potion still in his mouth, Harry was reluctant to drink the second one, but he had been brought up to be obedient by Dobby and Gillie, whose very nature was to serve and obey, and so, not without a grimace, he took the second vial and drank it. This potion made him sleepy and his eyes immediately began to droop.

"It's all right, Harry," said Severus gently. "You can lie down and sleep here."

By the time, Severus had lain the boy down, he was asleep. Within minutes, the blood adoption potion began to take hold and changes could already been seen in the child. The messy hair that he had inherited from James Potter straightened out to lie flat; his face narrowed and took on Severus' high cheekbones; and he grew visibly taller, right in front of their eyes. Severus was glad to see that young Harry appeared to have been spared both the Snape and the Prince beak of a nose. Severus had been doubly unlucky in that regard! Talking of identifying characteristics, he hoped that Harry's eyes would change to his own black, since no one who had ever met Lily Evans Potter could possibly doubt that Harry's green eyes made him her child. _Well, even if they didn't turn black now, perhaps they will when we enter the Scared Blue Moon Fire,_ he thought philosophically.

When the changes ceased, Healer Cutwell ran another diagnostic on the sleeping child and nodded approvingly. "His magical core has grown significantly. That's good. It will help him expel the Horcrux when we transfer it, as it will fight to stay where it is. Mercifully, it's hold on Harry is tenuous, since it's located in his scar rather than within Harry himself."

Severus felt a wave of terror brush across him. "What would have happened if it had been located within him?" he whispered.

Sharpspike shook his head. "It would have possessed him — an infant could never fight off a fully trained, adult, Dark wizard — and he would have become a monster, a demon."

Severus felt sick. "Is that why you are transferring it to that?" he said, nodding towards an old and broken quill that had been placed on the altar next to Harry.

"It would be better to transfer it to an animal — a mouse or a rat perhaps — and we would then slaughter the animal immediately and completely destroy the carcass. With the death of the animal, the piece of soul would also die. However, I would not dare leave a soul piece in a living container for longer than it would take me to swing an axe. With the Dark Lord's ability to do wandless and non-verbal magic, he would be dangerous even in the body of a mouse. As we need to use this Horcrux to try and locate any others, it's better to transfer it to an inanimate object. A Horcrux housed in an inanimate object can be destroyed by either basilisk venom or Fiendfyre."

"And you've chosen an item that will be destroyed easily," Severus commented.

"Precisely," Sharpspike confirmed.

"A broken old quill, though?" Severus asked, his black eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Does he deserve anything better?" responded Sharpspike sardonically.

No, indeed he doesn't," agreed Severus, his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh. The situation was not really one for humour.

When Sharpspike, Ironfist and Cutwell had finished setting up the area, three more goblins came in, dressed in white druidic robes. These were the holy men among the goblins, the ones who were responsible for the maintenance of goblin lore and rituals and the goblin way of life. Severus was informed that it was better he not be present, in case the soul piece be attracted to his Dark Mark and try to possess him. With his magic already being linked to that of the Dark Lord, he may not succeed in overpowering the soul fragment and it would be disastrous if the Dark Lord were to take possession of someone as magically powerful as he. Severus was politely but firmly ejected from the chamber and he sank down onto the floor outside the door to wait, the loyal Dobby beside him, pulling his ears with anxiety. The chamber was obviously sound-proofed as neither Severus nor Dobby could hear anything. After what seemed like an interminable wait, but could have been no longer than half an hour, the door opened and Ironfist beckoned the concerned father back into the chamber. Severus jumped to his feet and rushed over to Harry, who was still lying on the altar.

"It is done," said Cutwell. "Harry will sleep for a several hours yet but he will be fine when he awakens. Your son may even feel lighter, as though a weight has been lifted from him."

"You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?" Severus asked.

"It's better that you don't know," Cutwell replied. "I don't expect he will have nightmares since he was unconscious throughout, but if he does, I presume you will be able to provide him with a Dreamless Sleep potion?"

"Of course." Severus picked up Harry and held him tight. "Thank you all for helping Harry. I am in your debt," he said bowing deeply to the goblins, his son still cradled in his arms.

"There is no debt for this, Master Snape," said Ironfist, pleased with the wizard's gratitude. "We could not in good conscience have left that abomination in the child."

The goblin priests bowed their heads as they filed out.

"We still need to unbind your Unbreakable Vow," Ironfist reminded him, when the only goblins remaining in the ritual chamber were himself, Cutwell and Sharpspike. "That is for Curse Breaker Sharpspike to do."

Severus nodded. "Should Harry be in here while you do that? I don't want him to be harmed if there's a backlash."

Ironfist nodded approvingly. "You are already proving to be a good father, Master Snape, with your constant care and concern for Harry."

"Thank you," Severus smiled. The new father was surprised by how precious Harry already was to him. Severus felt a warmth run through him every time he thought of Harry as his son, which, despite his extremely limited experience with the emotion, he knew was love for the innocent and unspoiled, young boy.

"Dobby, please take Harry back to the meeting room. Apparate him back; don't walk through the corridors. Please stay with him until I return."

"Yes, Master Snape," said Dobby, his ears flapping happily. The excitable elf could feel that the little boy was no longer tainted by Dark magic and was very pleased that he had put his trust in Severus Snape.

Once Dobby had taken Harry away, Severus was asked to extend the arm to which the Unbreakable Vow was bound. Ironfist and Cutwell erected shields and Sharpspike began to chant in the goblin language. As he did, Severus could feel the bonds of the Unbreakable Vow unravelling. Suddenly, Sharpspike paused and nodded to Ironfist, who barked a command into a goblin communication device. Sharpspike uttered a final, sharp exclamation and Severus felt the bonds snap. The backlash had him feeling slightly battered and buffeted but he was not harmed.

"Thank you," he said, gratefully

Ironfist escorted Severus back to the meeting room. Severus produced the Will, which Ironfist authenticated. The Account Manager made a goblin notarised copy for the Gringotts records and sent the original with a Gringotts eagle to be registered at the British Ministry. Ten minutes later, a charm linking the two copies of the Will caused the copy in Ironfist's possession to glow gold, indicating that the original Will had been registered.

"Dumbledore cannot suppress this Will now that it has been registered," Ironfist said in satisfaction. "As for a Death Certificate…"

"Dumbledore can take care of that," Severus interrupted. "My supposed death won't register automatically at the Ministry. Dumbledore will only be aware something has happened because of the breaking of the bonds of my vow. Since there is no one else who would know or care about the death of Severus Snape, it would be suspicious if it were to be registered. Even Dumbledore won't actually care about the death of Severus Snape," he snorted. "The manipulative old coot will only bother registering the death because he'll hope to gain from it."

"I'll need documentation for Rennard Benedict Prince and his son, Theodore Henry Prince. If I will be renewed in the Sacred Blue Moon Fire on the thirtieth of August this year, then that should be the basis for my new date of birth: the thirtieth of August 1960. Harry's date of birth is to be according to today's date, as the day I adopted him: the third of August 1980. I checked the Prince family tree and discovered there was a second cousin of my grandfather, who had eight children. The entire family was wiped out by Grindelwald. I've created a fictional tenth child who will be Rennard Prince's parent; there's no one left alive who would know that there wasn't, in fact, a ninth child who miraculously escaped the slaughter. Even any friends of my grandfather's cousin who might still be alive are unlikely to remember after all this time exactly how many children he had in amongst all that brood and my supposed parent could be said to have been raised in seclusion by a godparent who is now also deceased. That should be a sufficient background story.

"Is it possible for the relevent records to be filed discreetly at the Swiss Ministry of Magic? Ideally, without it being registered exactly when the documents were actually filed?"

"Indeed it is," replied Ironfist. "Gringotts is on excellent terms with the Swiss Ministry. It may be a somewhat irregular request but if we explain it's on behalf of a wizard wishing to remove himself and his son from Dumbledore's reach, they will be most accommodating, I assure you. Albus Dumbledore is not well-liked outside Britain."

"That's good," said Severus in relief. "Fortunately, I took the precaution of removing Harry's name from the Hogwarts Book of Names, so Dumbledore or McGonagall won't find a record of Harry. And as the Ministry doesn't have automomatic detection of births, marriages, deaths or adoptions but relies upon records being submitted by the appropriate parties, there will be no record of Harry Potter having been disowned and adopted. At most, anyone looking will find a birth record for Harry Potter but nothing to indicate what became of him after that. There will be no reason for anyone to assume that Theodore Prince was once Harry Potter."

"What will the Potter house elves say if they should ever be asked about Harry Potter?" queried Ironfist, wanting to make sure all the loose ends were tied up.

"That Harry No-Name was removed from the Potter home by Severus Snape and no longer exists. They've agreed to say no more. Don't worry, house elves are very good at working around their bonds, while still obeying the compulsion. Hopefully, the assumption will be that Harry died along with Severus Snape," the dark man explained ruefully. "The Potters and Dumbledore will happily believe the worst of me. They won't have any problems thinking I made off with the child."

Ironfist summoned another goblin, sending him to prepare the documentation that Severus required. "May I ask why you have chosen those names?" he asked curiously.

Severus smiled. "For myself, I needed something very different to Severus Tobias Snape and yet still something I could relate to. One thing that no one knows about me — and I am trusting you to keep this secret — is that I am an unregistered animagus. A fox, to be precise. Although I believe it is more commonly used as a surname than as a first name these days, Rennard is an old, Teutonic name meaning fox; and with a slight variation of the spelling, it's also the French word for fox. That makes it suitable for one who was supposedly born and raised in Switzerland, with its multiple official languages. Hopefully, my animagus won't change once I've passed through the Sacred Blue Moon Fire?"

"No, that shouldn't change, although your Patronus might change," replied Ironfist reflectively.

"That would be very welcome. At present, my Patronus is representative of a woman I once loved when I was still in school and I would be very pleased if it were to change to match my animagus form. I included Benedict in my names because even though I barely know the child, I already feel very blessed to have Harry come into my life. Being his father and having the opportunity to start a new life with him is the best thing that ever happened to me.

"As for Harry's new name, Theodore is because, like the name says, he is a gift. Henry is because Harry is a pet name derived from Henry. Harry will be undergoing so many changes in his life, not least of which will be learning to think of himself as a boy instead of an elf, that I think it's important he retain something familiar. However, in case anyone should ever remember that the Potters had a second child, I've made Henry his second name instead of his first name, thus making it of lesser importance. While changing his name as well as his entire life may be too overwhelming at this time, perhaps once Harry feels stable and confident in his new life, he might like to be called Theo or Teddy instead, although I wouldn't force that upon him."

Ironfist nodded in approval. "With that attitude, both towards your new name and that of your son, you will have no problems with the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. It will welcome you and bless you," he said.

"There is one other thing that I request, Ironfist. My Head of House ring will act as a portkey to take Harry and myself to the Prince property in Switzerland but I will need a portkey to return on the thirtieth of August. Once we have cleared the Sacred Blue Moon Fire, I will take Harry back home but I will want to return here the following day, so the portkey will need to be reusable. Between now and the full moon, I hope to retain Andromeda Tonks of the Tonks &amp; Tonks legal firm as my proxy on the Wizengamot. I would like to meet with Andromeda in person here on the thirty-first of August, as it would be too risky to meet with her in person before the ritual, as she would no doubt recognise me and can't know that Severus Snape is still alive."

"That won't be a problem, Mr Prince. We will send you the portkey through our branch in Geneva in good time."

"Thank you, Ironfist. Please deduct all fees and charges relating to today and to the services Gringotts will be providing to me on the thirtieth and thirty-first of August from my Swiss vault."

Ironfist looked up sharply. "Not from your vault here? It would be easier."

Severus shook his head. "I wouldn't want you to be accused of impropriety by withdrawing funds from the vault of Severus Snape after his death."

Ironfist bowed his head. "Thank you for that consideration, Mr Prince."

"After all you have done for me today, it's the least I could do. Now, I have taken up enough of your time for one day," said Severus, looking at his watch, surprised to see that it was not much past noon. The day had been so emotionally draining, it felt like he had been in Gringotts all day. "May I use my portkey here?"

"I will escort you to the secure outgoing portkey room, Mr Prince."

"Thank you, Ironfist," said Severus, picking up the little boy, who was curled up on the floor, wrapped in his blanket and with a cushioning charm beneath him. Dobby, I don't know what supplies and foodstuffs are in Prince Manor — I don't believe there any surviving Prince elves — so please would you go and get food for the next couple of days, while we get organised. If you don't know what Harry's current favourite foods are, then feel free to ask Gillie. I'd like to tempt him with something he enjoys eating."

"Yes, Master Prince," said Dobby, nodding.

"Very good, Dobby," said Severus approvingly, hearing the little elf use his new name.

Dobby popped off and Severus followed Ironfist to the portkey room. It made sense that outgoing portkeys could only take place from a designated room, otherwise anyone trying to rob the bank or cause other mayhem could easily portkey out from anywhere within Gringotts, something which the goblins would never permit.

Holding tightly to the sleeping boy, Severus placed his hand underneath Harry's, so that Harry would be touching Severus' Head of House ring. A murmured activation phrase and the new father and son were whisked off to Prince Manor in Switzerland.

.o.O.o.

² washingtonpost dot com / blogs / capital-weather-gang / post / blue-moon-one-small-mistake-an-accidental-folklore-for-the-sky / 2012 / 08 / 31 / f6a96a22-f36f-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_blog dot html

³ fullmoon dot info / en / fullmoon-calendar_1900-2050 dot html

⁴ The concept of the blue moon fire came from an old movie I saw very many years ago. I remembered very little of it — unfortunately, neither the title of the movie or who was in it — however, thanks to the lovely people here at FF, it's now been identified as _She_ (1935, remade 1965), based on the novel by the same name, by Henry Rider Haggard (1887). Thank to everyone who helped me.

⁵ There is a common assumption in FF that Susan Bones lost her family in the first Voldemort war and she was therefore raised by her Aunt Amelia. That may very well be the case. However, my perception is rather different. When Edgar Bones is first mentioned, Mad-Eye Moody is showing Harry the photograph of the Order of the Phoenix from the first Voldemort War and he says that "Edgar Bones and his family" were killed. (_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 9._) Moody doesn't say that one daughter survived and, given that Amelia was a colleague of his before he retired, I would have thought he would have been aware of her having to raise a niece who was the same age as Harry, and would therefore have mentioned it. Furthermore, after Voldemort broke out his most notorious Death Eaters from Azkaban (_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25_) much attention was paid to those pupils who had lost family at the hands of the Death Eaters, in particular, "Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt and cousins had all died at the hands of one of the ten." I would have thought that she would have been more likely to have received attention for having lost her parents and siblings, if that were the case, than for having lost her aunt, uncle and cousins. Finally, when Amelia Bones was killed by Death Eaters, she was described as a middle-aged woman who lived alone (_Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1_). Not a middle-aged woman who lived with her niece, or whose niece was away at boarding school, but who lived on her own. Therefore, my perception of the Bones family is that there were three siblings: Amelia, Edgar and one unnamed brother, and it's that other brother, whose name we don't know, who is Susan's father.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Within a few days, Dobby and Severus had the Swiss Manor back in shape. It had been standing empty since the last house elves died, but not long enough for magical pests like doxies and boggarts to have moved in, as far as Severus could tell. However, he was being very careful to ensure that either he or Dobby had Harry in sight at all times, just in case. Severus had promised Dobby that he would employ more elves to maintain the Manor but he wanted to wait until after the blue moon, when his new identity would be recognised by magic. Dobby assured him that he was fine alone for now, although Gillie had popped over to help them a few times while the Potters were on holiday.

Severus was kept up-to-date on Dumbledore's doings with regard to the death of Severus Snape by Ironfist. As Severus had expected, Dumbledore had tried to have his will suppressed in order to maintain the proxy of the prestigious Prince seat on the Wizengamot, however, even though he had returned to Britain within hours of feeling the bond of the Unbreakable Vow snap, he was too late. Severus Snape's will was already a matter of record, much to Dumbledore's anger. Dumbledore had tried to persuade the Wizengamot that he should continue to hold the proxy but the elderly Griselda Marchbanks and her cronies, sticklers for protocol all, had blocked him.

A week after his supposed death, Severus wrote to the law firm of Tonks &amp; Tonks and Andromeda tentatively agreed to be his proxy. To Dumbledore's dismay, she had marched into the Wizengamot with documentary evidence proving that she had been retained by the House of Prince.

"But your agreement is only temporary," Dumbledore had protested.

"That is correct. I will be meeting the new Head of House Prince at the end of this month and our agreement will be finalised then," stated Andromeda firmly. Up to that point, she had not been sure that she wanted to take on this responsibility but Dumbledore had angered her and she now resolved that if Rennard Prince seemed to be an honourable man whose politics and ideals lay in line with her own, then she would agree to act on his behalf on a more permanent basis.

"Where and when will this meeting be taking place, Madam Tonks, so that I may attend?" asked Dumbledore genially, fully expecting to be given the information he had requested.

"I don't believe you were invited, Mr Dumbledore. This is private House business and the presence of the Chief Warlock is neither wanted nor required," she replied firmly, to Dumbledore's great shock. The Chief Warlock was not used to people turning a deaf ear to him.

Andromeda Tonks may have been disowned by her family for marrying a Muggleborn but she had been born into the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Madam Tonks had therefore been educated throughout her childhood on Pure-blood protocols and how to play politics, which, of course, was one of the reasons why Severus had selected her to be his representative. The Head of the House of Prince had every confidence in her abilities to play the game and to stand up to people like Albus Dumbledore.

As far as Andromeda Black Tonks was concerned, the House of Dumbledore was a nouveau, upstart, minor House of little import. Albus, of course, knew this was how the House of Dumbledore was regarded by all of the Ancient and/or Noble Houses, which was why he was so determined to hold onto the proxy for the prestigious House of Prince. Although he held the proxy for several Houses — more than any single person ought to hold, many felt — they only gave him numbers; they had no real influence or sway. Even though the House of Prince was commonly regarded as impoverished and on its last legs, it still held the kind of respect that the House of Dumbledore could only dream of having.

Dumbledore had been blindsided by Severus Snape's will, something he had not been aware even existed. What made it worse was the fact that it had been witnessed by his own brother, a man with whom he did not get on. The old meddler then tried to have the Prince seat disqualified on the grounds that he had never heard of Rennard Prince. "The man didn't attend Hogwarts — his name doesn't even appear in the Book of Names. This man shouldn't have a seat on our Wizengamot."

Andromeda headed off that line of thought immediately. "Many Houses have secondary estates on the continent and elsewhere. It's not at all unknown for members of the House to be born on one of those estates. When that happens, the children's names don't automatically appear in the Hogwarts Book of Names, since the Founders created the book only to cover the British Isles and Ireland. This means that when a child is born outside the book's catchment area, their parents have to make sure the child's name is added to the book later — something that I would have thought the Headmaster of Hogwarts would be aware of," she said sarcastically.

"Rennard Prince was born in continental Europe and his parents chose to have him privately tutored, hence their not asking that his name be added to the Hogwarts Book of Names. Again, private education is not at all unknown; nor it is unknown for parents to choose to send their children to schools other than Hogwarts. Additionally, as Chief Warlock, I would have thought you would have been aware that it's not obligatory to have attended Hogwarts in order to take up a seat on the Wizengamot. Parents have the right to educate their children in whatever manner they choose, or do you intend to deny them that right, Headmaster? Houses also have the right to manage themselves and their lines of succession as they deem fit, or are you now claiming that the approval of the Chief Warlock must be received before a Head of House is permitted to nominate their heirs?" she asked scathingly.

This, of course, caused utmost outrage. The very idea that Dumbledore would take it upon himself either to mandate a Hogwarts education regardless of the parents' wishes, or to dictate lines of succession, was completely unacceptable to every member of the Wizengamot, regardless of whether they were allies or enemies of Dumbledore. The Chamber was in an uproar and Dumbledore's objections were very firmly quashed. When he heard about what had happened, an amused Severus felt that even if Andromeda chose not to continue as his proxy, this alone would have made retaining the Tonks &amp; Tonks law firm for these few weeks worthwhile.

On the evening of the thirtieth of August, Severus and Harry portkeyed into Gringotts in London. Harry was again clutching his plush owl, which had been named Lumi. Harry adored the soft, cuddly toy and never went anywhere without it. Severus had suggested calling 'him' Bubo but Harry had crossly insisted that the owl was a girl. Lumi was a Finnish name meaning snow and Harry had liked the sound of the name. Over the last month, Harry had come on in leaps and bounds. His speech and development, both stunted by his upbringing until now, were improving daily. The little boy had indeed panicked when first presented with clothes but had soon become accustomed to them. Harry was even getting used to having his own bedroom and sleeping in a bed. Most of the time, anyway. There were still days when Severus came to wake Harry in the morning and found that the little boy had crept into the bedroom cupboard to sleep, but these were becoming rarer. Severus had deliberately avoided putting a mattress or cushioning charm on the cupboard floor and had forbidden Dobby from doing so either. This discouraged Harry from sleeping in the cupboard instead of his much more comfortable bed.

"Welcome, Mr Prince," said Ironfist.

"May your enemies decrease and your riches increase, Account Manager Ironfist," said Severus formally.

Greetings over, Severus turned to greet Healer Cutwell and Curse Breaker Sharpspike, who were both in the meeting room with Ironfist. As Severus sat down with Harry perched on his lap, Cutwell came over to speak to the little boy.

"Hello, Harry," he said, trying not to be intimidating, a natural bearing for goblins. "May I ask you some questions?"

Harry looked up at his father for reassurance and upon receipt of a smile from Severus, nodded at the goblin.

"Harry, when you lived in the cupboard, did your head hurt you?" asked Cutwell.

Harry thought for a moment then nodded again.

"Has it stopped hurting since you've been living with your Dad?"

Harry nodded a third time, a big smile on his face. Severus realised with an internal sigh that while Harry was now quite happy to talk to him, he was still conditioned to think that he could only talk around his primary care-givers and that he should be quiet and unheard around others.

Healer Cutwell had been surreptitiously running a diagnostic on Harry as he spoke to him and was glad to see that there were no traces of Dark magic lingering in the little boy after having been a host for part of the Dark Lord's soul. However, he had to agree with Severus' proposal that Harry enter the Sacred Blue Moon Fire with his father. Smiling with his mouth closed, in order not to frighten the boy with the sight of his sharp teeth, Cutwell produced a sugar quill from his pocket and, with a glance at Severus for his permission, gave it to Harry, because he was "Such a good boy." Harry beamed in response and happily sucked away at the treat while Severus talked to the goblins.

"Severus Snape's entire estate has now been transferred to Rennard Prince, much to Dumbledore's chagrin," Ironfist informed him with great satisfaction.

Severus shared a feral grin with the goblin and then handed over piece of parchment and three envelopes. "These are in case I don't survive the Sacred Blue Moon Fire," he explained. "It's my Will, making Harry my heir. I have also named Andromeda and Ted Tonks as guardians, with Filius Flitwick and Amelia Bones as godparents. There is a letter for each of them, explaining matters. Ideally, I would like Harry to be raised away from the UK but I don't know how practical that hope is. Should it be necessary to hand on those letters, I would appreciate it if you would show Filius the memory of him binding myself and Albus in the Unbreakable Vow and of Albus Obliviating him, which I left in your possession last month. My Will hasn't been witnessed as there was no one I dared ask prior to tonight's ceremony, so is Gringotts able to validate it instead?"

Ironfist took the parchment and waved a hand over it, muttering some words in his own tongue. "It has been validated," he assured Severus, much to his relief.

An hour later, Severus stood clad in only a cloak in a cave deep below Gringotts, with a drowsy Harry in his arms. In front of him was the fire which would shortly burn blue. Circled around the fire were several goblin druid priests dressed in their white druidic robes, Ironfist, Cutwell and Sharpspike. The holy men were chanting and beating on drums, the beat gradually increasing to a crescendo and stirring a fire within Severus' veins. The drums and the chanting ceased abruptly at the exact moment the moon appeared through the crevice and the fire turned blue. Ironfist, as Severus' sponsor for this ceremony removed the cloak and, naked and unashamed, Severus stepped into the fire, protectively cradling an equally naked Harry.

As the blue flames washed over him, Severus thought intensely of his purpose for entering the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. As his body tingled from the flames, he cried out, unaware, from the depths of his soul. "I am Rennard Benedict Prince and this is my son, Theodore Henry Prince, who I love and cherish, and whose health and well-being I value above all. I beseech Magick and the Powers here tonight to cleanse and purify him from the evil that was once housed within him, through no choice of his own. I beseech Magick and the Powers to cleanse and purify me of the evil still within me and to free me from the bonds that shackle me, so that I may be the father that my son needs and deserves, so that I may champion him and protect him from those who would use him or try to do him harm."

The tingling in Severus' body became focused on his Dark Mark, even as Harry giggled. "Tickles," the little boy whispered sleepily. Severus smiled and kissed his son's head lovingly. Severus felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his arm as a flash of light encircled them both and when it faded, he saw that his Dark Mark was gone. Severus stepped out of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. Moment later, the moon completed its passage over the crevice and the fire returned to its normal golden flames.

Ironfist came to cover him again with the cloak, a wide smile on his face. "Well met, Mr Prince. It seems that you have found favour with the Powers That Be."

"Well met, Ironfist. I'm sure it's Harry who found favour with the Powers That Be. He deserves it far more than I do."

With a smile of approval, Ironfist covered Severus in his cloak and led him back to the chamber where he had disrobed. Severus first dressed Harry and then got dressed himself. As he did so, he catalogued the changes in them both. Severus himself still had his black eyes and black hair but his hair was now, impossibly, even blacker. Instead of hanging limply and greasily, it shone with glossy blue highlights. His skin was no longer pale and sallow but a healthy pink. All his scars — from his father's abuse, from the abuse of his schoolmates and from his time as a Death Eater — were now gone. His teeth were white and straight. Magic seemed to have acted upon his subconscious desires and his nose was no longer a disproportionately overlarge, hooked beak but a more balanced, patrician, Roman nose. Severus was taller now, what he assumed his height should naturally have been had he not suffered malnutrition in his childhood due to his family's poverty. He also looked younger. The miseries of his life to date had made him a twenty-five year old man who looked forty; now he was a twenty-five year old man who looked twenty. Although he told himself that he was being fanciful, his soul felt infinitely lighter than it had before. As Severus examined his reflection in the dressing room mirror, he was pleased to see that he no longer looked like a cartoon caricature of evil. Anyone who had known him previously would see the 'cousinly' resemblance between Severus Snape and Rennard Prince, however, they would not look at him and think that he might actually be Severus Snape.

When Severus had finished cataloguing the changes in himself, he turned his attention back to Harry, who was now asleep on a padded bench, holding tightly onto the ever-present Lumi. Harry had already changed much when he took the blood adoption potion and so there were few differences now. His hair had also become darker with the same blue-black glossy sheen as his new father and Severus had seen while dressing him that as he had hoped, Harry's eyes, which had retained Lily Potter's green colour even after taking the blood adoption potion, were now black like his own. Severus was also delighted to note that the distinctive lightning bolt scar that had been on Harry's forehead was no more.

Picking up his son and holding him in a loving embrace, Severus exited the robing chamber, with a shrunken Lumi safely in his pocket. Harry would be devastated if he lost his cuddly owl while they were portkeying home. The goblin priests had already gone but Ironfist, Cutwell and Sharpspike were all waiting for them.

"I thank you for all you have done for my son and myself," he said formally, surprised to hear that although his voice still retained its velvety tones, it was now a couple of registers deeper than previously. "I would thank your holy priests but I know that they do not talk to outsiders. Please would you pass on my thanks to them."

Cutwell stretched out a hand in the human greeting. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Mr Prince," he said.

"And with you," Severus replied, shaking his hand. Turning to Sharpspike and Ironfist, he continued. "I will be back tomorrow to meet with Andromeda Tonks here. Either before or after, I would like to meet with you regarding any further Horcruxes that the piece of the Dark Lord's soul you removed from Harry have led you to. I would rather not do so tonight, as it's late and I want to put Harry to bed. He is still very young and needs a proper night's sleep."

"Of course," agreed Ironfist amiably. "Madam Tonks has been given a portkey to bring her to the meeting room at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Professor Dumbledore has been determined to join in this meeting and so we felt it would be better than having her walk in the main doors. This way, Dumbledore will not be able to follow Madam Tonks to your meeting. We will both be at your disposal after that."

Ironfist escorted Severus to the room from which he could portkey home. With another expression of his gratitude, he portkeyed himself and Harry back to Switzerland and put Harry to bed. Setting the nightly monitoring charm to alert him if Harry awoke or had bad dreams, though he did not expect the latter this evening after the cleansing and purification they had undergone, Severus sat down in his study with a glass of firewhisky and called Dobby.

"Master Prince!" the elf squeaked. "Bad magic is gone," he cheeped happily.

"Yes, the bad magic is gone, Dobby," Severus confirmed kindly.

"And Master Prince is now truly Dobby's Master's father. Dobby can feel the bond."

Severus smiled. "Yes, Harry is now truly my son and no one can take him from me. His name is now Theodore Henry Prince."

Dobby bounced up and down in excitement. Although the elf still had tendencies to be hyper, he had calmed down considerably since being able to take care of Harry full-time. Severus speculated that Dobby's previous jittery behaviour had been due to the elf being unable to fulfil his bond to Harry.

"Dobby, now that the goblin ritual has been successfully completed, it's time for us to organise ourselves more. We need more elves to help maintain the house and grounds. Do you know of any who need a new home and family? I was hoping for two couples, who would be very welcome to have elf babies if they want. Additionally, if there is a lady elf who you would like to make your mate and have babies with, that would also be acceptable. The elves would all be bound to the House of Prince rather than to me personally, and when Harry is grown, your mate can bond with Harry's wife, assuming she doesn't have a personal elf already."

"Master Prince is too good," Dobby yelped, tears in his eyes. Not even the Potters, who were considerably better Masters than the Malfoys, were this kind or generous to their elves.

"I'm thinking two of the elves can work in the house and two can be responsible for maintaining the grounds. I also want to repair the greenhouses so that they can be used to cultivate potions ingredients. The fifth elf would be responsible for that."

"Master Prince needs a personal elf," said Dobby.

"I really would rather not," said Severus, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew that in the eyes of the elves, the Head of a respected Ancient and Noble House should have a personal elf but he was quite happy as he was.

"Master Prince needs a personal elf," repeated Dobby firmly.

"All right," Severus capitulated with a sigh, knowing that if he did not agree, the elves would just designate one of themselves as his personal elf regardless. "However, the primary responsibility of the elf who becomes my personal elf will be the greenhouses with the potions ingredients."

Dobby nodded, agreeing that this was an acceptable duty for the personal elf of a Potions Master.

"I do not want any elves who have worked at Hogwarts or for the Potters or Sirius Black. They will undoubtedly be spies for Headmaster Whiskers and I won't have them in my home. I also want you to tell me if the bond with any of the elves doesn't take properly, especially if they were once the elves of Death Eaters. For the sake of Harry's safety, I need to be assured that all elves are fully bound to the House of Prince and are completely loyal."

Dobby nodded fervently. "Dobby will do that," he said.

"Good. Now, are there any wards we can install which will keep out all elves who aren't bound to the House of Prince or to invited guests? You were able to get into Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor unnoticed, and I don't want that to happen here."

"Goblins might be able to do that," said Dobby, his ears twitching as he thought.

"I'll ask Sharpspike," Severus agreed, thinking that he would also need an anti-phoenix ward against Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. "Dobby, I don't want my elves to be overworked so if at any time you, or any of the other elves, feel there's a need for more elves, I want to be informed. This isn't a reflection on you; rather, I want my elves to be happy and healthy, and not collapsing from illness or weariness. Apart from that, there's one final rule: I don't want the elves bound to the House of Prince, or to Harry or myself personally, to punish themselves. That means no shutting their hands in a door, banging their heads on a wall, ironing their hands or anything else of that nature. I will set out guidelines for punishment and my personal elf will decide if punishment is warranted or not. Only if he feels it is necessary can an elf be punished."

"Dobby understands," said the little elf happily. Master Prince was a very good Master indeed to be so concerned about his elves. "Dobby will start looking for suitable elveses right away."

"No, Dobby. That won't be necessary, unless you know any elves who are homeless and need immediate accommodation. Otherwise it can wait until morning. In fact, the day after tomorrow will be better. I'll be at a meeting in London for much of the day tomorrow, so you'll need to be here to look after Harry. That's even more important than finding new elves."

"Yes, Master Prince," said Dobby, as he popped away.

Severus sat sipping his firewhisky as he considered the future. He was teaching Harry at present but the little boy — his son! — needed more than just him. Harry needed to interact with other people, both adults and children, and he would need a proper education once he had caught up on the overall development he had missed. As for Severus himself, he needed to regain his Mastery in the name of Rennard Prince, but that could wait until he was able to entrust Harry's education to a tutor. Realising that none of these issues could be solved overnight, he headed off to bed, to prepare himself for the next day's meetings.

Severus was up and about early in the morning. Instructing Dobby to care for Harry for the day, Severus apparated to wizarding Geneva, having previously checked with Gringotts the whereabouts of the wizarding district and how to enter it.

"Good day," Severus politely greeted the wandmaker, when he entered the shop. "I need a new wand, please."

"Of course, sir. Has something happened to your wand?"

Severus sighed inwardly. He knew the wandmaker had to ask, as it was not common for adults to need new wands. He could be a criminal who had to ditch his old wand after having used it to commit a crime or one who wanted a second wand for nefarious purposes. However, he had been hoping to avoid this question. Oh well, he would be honest but stick only to the bare bones of the story.

"I recently underwent an enormous emotional upheaval and it has affected my magic. My previous wand no longer works for me," Severus explained. This was true in essence but short on details.

"I see. Did you bring your previous wand with you?" asked the wandmaker.

"I'm afraid not. I don't want to trade it, merely to get a new wand; it's a family tradition to keep old wands." Severus did not want the wandmaker to see it because she would instantly recognise it as an Ollivander wand and Ollivander would know that he had never sold a wand to one Rennard Benedict Prince. Besides, he actually intended to destroy it, not to save it.

"I see. Well, let's get started, shall we?" replied the wandmaker.

Thirty-five minutes later, Severus was in possession of a new wand, made from red oak and dragon heartstring. It was eleven and a half inches long and was what Severus was sure Ollivander would probably describe as _swishy or whippy or something like that_, he thought in amusement. On trying out the wand in the shop, he had cast a Patronus and had been very pleased to see that, as he had hoped, it had changed and was now a fox instead of his previous doe Patronus, which had matched that of Lily Potter. He was delighted with his new wand and felt confident that the young woman who had made this wand could easily surpass Garrick Ollivander, who was commonly regarded — in parochial Britain, anyway — as the foremost wandmaker in the world... provided, of course, that she continued working after she married and had children, something which was uncommon in the wizarding world.

He spent the rest of the time until his portkey was due to go off browsing through the wizarding district. He purchased a toy training broom for Harry and a junior potions kit, together with some wizarding children's books, all of which he shrank and tucked into his pocket.

When Severus arrived at Gringotts in London, he felt very reassured to know that there was no chance of anyone who caught sight of him identifying him as Severus Snape. He had even changed his style of dress and was wearing tasteful robes in an elegant grey silk, instead of Severus Snape's trademark, functional black wool. With his new appearance, his altered voice, his changed aura and his new wand, he was ready for Andromeda Tonks to meet Rennard Prince.

Severus had arrived in Gringotts a few minutes before Andromeda and took the time to greet Ironfist. "You look as though the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders, Mr Prince," observed Ironfist.

"It feels like it has!" agreed Severus with a laugh.

A moment later, Andromeda's portkey arrived. "Madam Tonks, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Severus, striding towards her. Andromeda held out her hand and raised one eyebrow when he kissed it instead of shaking it.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr Prince," she said graciously, the epitome of the Pure-blood noblewoman she had been raised as.

Severus ushered her into a seat and then sat opposite her, so they could talk comfortably.

"I'm curious as to why you approached Tonks &amp; Tonks, Mr Prince?" she inquired, coming straight to the point, in a most unSlytherin like manner.

"It was on the advice of my cousin, Madam Tonks," he explained affably.

"You mean Severus Snape, I presume?" she asked.

"Yes, Madam Tonks. We did not know each other well but there was a connection between us. We were family, after all."

Andromeda nodded understandingly. Although she had been disowned by the Blacks, she understood family ties. Severus withdrew an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her.

"You should probably read this; it explains much," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Over the last month, Severus had taken great care to change his handwriting so that it would be markedly different to that of Severus Snape. However, the letter that he had just handed to Andromeda Tonks had been written in Severus' original handwriting and was supposedly a letter from Severus to his cousin, Rennard.

.

_Dear Cousin_

_I hope this finds you and your son well, as I am too — in physical health, at least. Emotionally, I am not so sure. I am still in servitude to Albus Dumbledore, who is yet to release me from the Unbreakable Vow I swore to him before the end of the war, almost four years ago. He insists that Voldemort is not dead and will return, and has therefore bound me to him in preparation for this supposed event._

_In truth, the defeat of Voldemort at the hands of the Potter child was prophesised just before his birth. And yet, has that not happened already? Did he not defeat Voldemort when the Dark Lord tried to kill him on Halloween 1981? Surely, he has done his part and the prophecy has played out. Should the Dark Lord return, I would have thought it would now be the duty of we adults to protect the boy and deal with the Dark Lord. Surely it should not be a burden placed upon a child? Had Dumbledore and the Ministry acted decisively when Voldemort first began his reign of terror, before he had attracted so many followers, long __before__ the prophecy was made, the war could have ended far earlier, with considerably less loss of life. Instead, we all sat back and waited for someone else to save us. Even now, the emphasis on the Boy-Who-Lived as the so-called saviour of the wizarding world, means that should Voldemort return, we adults, who caused this mess in the first place with our procrastination and equivocation, will all choose again to sit back and let a child do the job we should be doing ourselves. I have no love for the Potter child — he is, after all, the son of one of my greatest tormentors — but even I can see how wrong this is and would not want the boy to be put in that position._

_As you know, my home life as a child was a nightmare and my schooldays no better. At school, I was targeted by a group of vicious bullies and no one did anything to rein them in. As a member of staff now, it is my duty to protect __all__ the students but much to my sorrow, I cannot, because my role as spy for Dumbledore means that I must play a part. The younger siblings, children and other relatives of my former Death Eater colleagues report back home and if I were to be anything other than blatantly prejudiced in favour of the Slytherin students, it would mean my life. Not that my life is of value to anyone, as was made clear to me when in my later years as a student at Hogwarts, Sirius Black tried to murder me and the Headmaster treated me as the villain instead of the victim, threatening to Obliviate me if I ever tried to seek justice. Black was never punished and, consequently, has never accepted that what he did was wrong. Apparently, the very fact that it was me, Severus Snape, who he tried to kill made it justifiable homicide in his mind._

_Neither has the Headmaster ever shown remorse over his treatment of me. On the contrary, he delights in rubbing salt in my wounds. Neither Dumbledore, Black nor Potter has ever accepted that I am not pure evil. From the moment they met me on my first day at Hogwarts and saw a poor, oddball, child of unprepossessing looks and with no family connections or influence, they decreed, simply because I wanted to be sorted into Slytherin like my mother, who I loved very much and simply wanted to make proud, that I was the devil incarnate. They have never wavered from that belief and no matter what I may do to try and prove otherwise, they never will. It was they who pushed me into the arms of Voldemort. There was nowhere else for me to go, as Dumbledore and his followers of the "Light" made sure no one else would accept me._

_My bondage to Dumbledore becomes ever more burdensome. He has now decreed that I must begin to teach the Potter child. Of course, the fact that Potter Senior and Black have decided that my only input in the child's training is to be a human target is of no importance to Dumbledore. When Dumbledore ordered me to attend the child's birthday party, I overheard them saying that my role would be to stand still and let the child throw curses at me. I know the boy is only five and is only now beginning his training, but the curses and hexes will undoubtedly increase in viciousness over time, as he becomes more magically adept and the boy's father and godfather teach him to hate me._

_My situation has truly become intolerable. I did not want to admit this to you previously, but Dumbledore refused to let me take up the Prince seat on the Wizengamot and instead ordered me to give the proxy to him. The Unbreakable Vow gave me no other option but to obey, even though it outrages me that he would feel it is his right to demand this. Grandfather finally brought me back into the family and the line of succession and this is what happens! The old man must be spinning in his grave. He must surely be looking upon what has occurred and regretting that decision._

_I think I have a means by which I can unbind the Unbreakable Vow, even without Dumbledore's agreement. It is not guaranteed to be successful, however, and if it fails, it will no doubt kill me. I do not regret that. If it should happen that way, at least I will finally be free._

_You, of course, will inherit everything. You are under no obligation to Dumbledore and I implore you either to take up the seat yourself or to employ an alternative proxy. I know you have not spent much time in Britain and may not know who best to choose, so if you would permit me to make some suggestions, I would recommend Andromeda Tonks of the Tonks &amp; Tonks legal firm. Although she is a cousin of Sirius Black, she is nothing like him. Unlike her cousin, she has honour and integrity. Since I began my research into breaking my bond of slavery to Dumbledore, I have been watching her law career with interest. I believe I can honestly say that she does not choose her clients according to who can pay the most but according to who has right on their side. Madam Tonks believes in justice and equality, more often than not representing the underdog. Although she was disowned by her family for marrying a Muggleborn — who has the same honour and integrity as his wife — she was nevertheless born and raised a Black and will know how to engage with the Wizengamot to produce results._

_If Madam Tonks would prefer not to become your proxy, the only other person I would suggest is Augusta Longbottom, since her son has now taken up the Longbottom seat. Madam Longbottom has as much honour and integrity as Andromeda and Ted Tonks and she will have no qualms about standing up to Dumbledore. My only concern is that her son is very close to Potter, Black and, therefore, Dumbledore and I do not know how this might impact upon her — if at all. This, you must decide for yourself once you have met her._

_I truly hope, Cousin, that I will be able to free myself from my shackles but, if not, accept that my death was meant to be and was truly for the best. Claim the Prince seat back from Dumbledore, so that I may rest easy, and appoint a man or woman of principle as your proxy. Should neither Madam Tonks nor Madam Longbottom be able or willing to take up the proxy, then ask for their recommendation as to who else to appoint. Griselda Marchbanks and Amelia Bones are the only other members of the Wizengamot who I would deem to be worthy of consideration. Mesdames Tonks, Longbottom, Marchbanks and Bones — women all, but far better and more decent people than any other persons sitting on the Wizengamot today._

_Be well, Rennard. Live well, and raise your precious son to be a man of upright character, just like his father._

_Your cousin_

_Severus Snape_

_PS I have instructed my raven, Bran, to remain with you should the worst happen. I hope you will take care of him as he has been a faithful friend. Do not worry, he will not hurt your son in any way; rather he would protect him to the best of his ability from those who may try to harm him._

.

Andromeda finished reading and handed the letter back to Severus. As she had read the letter, Andromeda had lost all colour, clearly shocked and horrified by what she was reading. Severus could hardly blame her, given the scathing indictment on Albus Dumbledore, James Potter and Sirius Black that he had penned. The former Potions Professor decided to stir the cauldron further.

"Madam Tonks, were you aware that in every member country of the International Confederation of Wizards, apart from Britain, it is illegal to bind someone to an Unbreakable Vow? It's regarded as being as bad as putting that person under the Imperius — nay, worse! For at least if you are subjected to the Imperius, there is a chance you may be able to fight it off, or someone might realise what has happened and break the curse for you. With an Unbreakable Vow, you either submit or die, there are no other options, and in the hands of the unscrupulous, it can be severely corrupt. And yet, Albus Dumbledore is the only representative to the ICW who has not implemented this ruling in his home nation. He has not even brought it to the attention of the Wizengamot. Au contraire, he still uses it himself to enslave others. And he is no mere representative to the ICW but the Supreme Mugwump, no less!"

"Do you have proof of this?" she asked and Severus, who had expected the question, produced the ruling of the ICW regarding Unbreakable Vows. Severus had a feeling that Andromeda intended to raise that in the Wizengamot and he looked forward to the fall-out. At her request, Ironfist also produced a Gringotts certified copy of the letter from Severus Snape, which she added to her file. Severus had a feeling that Dumbledore was going to be facing some very awkward questions in the Wizengamot Chamber very soon and his lips curled at the thought.

An hour later, the deal was done. Severus had made it clear that he wanted his proxy to vote according to what they felt was _right_, not according to whether a proposal was raised by one who was regarded as Light or one who was regarded as Dark. Andromeda liked the way Rennard Prince thought and had agreed to be retained as proxy for the Prince seat on the Wizengamot. The astute lawyer was quite looking forward to stirring up James Potter, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore and her brother-in-law, Lucius Malfoy; she resolved to reach out to the other women Severus had mentioned in his letter, agreeing that they would be very good allies. Severus gave Andromeda one half of a pair of two-way mirrors, to allow for instant communication in case of need. "I also intend to employ a personal house elf in the not too distant future. When that happens, I will instruct him to answer your summons as another means of speedy communication," he informed her.

After Andromeda had portkeyed back to her place of business, it was time to meet with Ironfist and Sharpspike for an update regarding the Horcruxes. Sharpspike produced the quill which now contained the Horcrux which had been housed within Harry. The Curse Breaker uttered a few words in his own tongue, waving his hand over it as he spoke and a number of balls of light rose to surround the quill. Five of them were red and one was black.

"The red lights indicate Horcruxes and the black light is the remains of the original soul," Sharpspike explained.

"He made that many Horcruxes?" Severus whispered in horror. "How can we find them? Can we use this one to track them?"

"Not only can we, but we already have," said Ironfist, producing a large map of Europe, which he magically laid out on the floor. Sharpspike placed the broken quill on top of the marking for London. Looking at the map, Severus realised that the balls of light were all over specific locations. The black light was hovering over Albania but the others were all in Britain.

"We used increasingly more detailed maps to narrow down the locations further," explained Ironfist. "One is at Hogwarts and one at Malfoy Manor. There was one in a village called Little Hangleton and another in Gringotts, both of which have already been dealt with. The one here was in the Lestrange vault, which has now been confiscated for the crime of using Gringotts to house such an abomination. The final one is at the Black home in London." Severus raised his eyebrows at this and Ironfist continued. "As you may know, Orion and Walburga Black have both passed way, as has their younger son, Regulus. Their remaining son, Sirius, has no interest in the family home. We have contacted Mr Black to inquire if he would be willing to sell the Black library, as we have a buyer who would be interested in the books. He has agreed to let us into the house, first to assess the value of the library, and then to pack it up."

"Giving you plenty of time to locate the Horcrux at the same time," Severus said approvingly. "I would certainly be willing to purchase the library. Please assure Mr Black that your client, whose identity you can't reveal but who is most assuredly a 'Light' wizard, is willing to purchase the entire collection and will take the appropriate steps regarding the dangerous volumes. If we don't give him that assurance, he may not go through with the sale."

"That's nicely ambiguous," commented Ironfist wryly.

Severus sighed. "I'm reluctant to destroy any books, that smacks too much of Hitler in the Muggle Second World War. Besides, knowledge, once lost, cannot be regained. I'll go through them all and add anything benign to my library. As for the rest, I certainly don't want Dark and dangerous magic books around Harry, so I'll open another vault in Gringotts Geneva to store those volumes there. The information contained in them, in particular how to counter and combat Dark magic, could be vital one day. However, while the books will technically belong to me, and my heirs, I will entrust Gringotts with the safe-keeping of them. Anyone wishing to access these books will have to satisfy Gringotts as to their need to do so, and we'll set out strict protocols to establish what constitutes sufficient need."

Ironfist had raised his eyebrows when Severus had said that he was not sure if he would destroy the Dark volumes. The Sacred Blue Moon Fire would not have cleansed and purified Severus if he still had the desire to pursue Dark arts. However, when Severus explained his reasoning and, in particular, that he had no desire to house the Dark tomes in his home, Ironfist nodded in approval. There were those who would not hesitate to use the foulest of magic and Severus was correct that information as to the means of countering this should be available when needed. Ironfist would work with Severus and Sharpspike, who was the Head of the Curse-breaking Department, to ensure that the conditions to be met in order to access the books would be the strictest possible. Although all Severus' holdings were now in Switzerland, Ironfist was still the Prince Account Manager.

"Right. We'll pursue the purchase of the library — and don't worry about paying for it, we'll use monies from the Lestrange vault for this — and will take the opportunity to find the Horcrux."

"That's very generous of Gringotts and the Goblin Nation," said Severus in surprise.

"We wouldn't have known that this abomination was stored in our bank were it not for you. This is a fair recompense," Ironfist explained and Severus bowed his head in thanks. "But we still don't know how to obtain the Horcruxes in Hogwarts and at Malfoy Manor."

Severus thought for a moment. "Dobby!" he called and the little elf appeared with Harry and Lumi in his arms.

"Dobby did not want to leave Master alone," he explained, looking at Severus anxiously.

"You did exactly the right thing in bringing Harry with you," Severus reassured him. "Dobby, can you still enter Malfoy Manor?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Prince," said Dobby, wide-eyed.

"Dobby, there is an item in Malfoy Manor with the same Dark magic that was in Harry's scar."

Dobby nodded vigorously. "Dobby knows where it is," he said, and handing Harry over to Severus, promptly disappeared. Three minutes later, Dobby returned with an old, Muggle notebook in his hand.

Sharpspike gingerly took the notebook from Dobby and examined it carefully. "It's the Horcrux," he said with relief. "It appears to be a diary belonging to TM Riddle. I think we need to investigate the name," he said thoughtfully. "The original piece of soul is in spirit form, hence it showing black, and it can therefore be dealt with through a banishing ritual, after the Horcruxes have all been destroyed. It's important to address the spirit being banished by name. We know Lord Voldemort is an assumed name but we don't know his true name. This may lead us to that information."

"What about the Horcrux in Hogwarts?" asked Severus. "I can't go back there myself now."

"Dobby can get it," said the elf, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Can you get in and out without being caught or even sensed by the Hogwarts elves?" asked Severus. "I know you did it once before but you were only in my chambers then, and the Headmaster was away at the time. You might need to search the entire school in order to find this."

"Hogwarts elveses might know Dobby is there but they won't tell Headmaster Whiskers. Hogwarts elveses are bound to the castle, not to Headmaster Whiskers. If bad magic is there, elveses will know where it is and will be glad to see it go. Castle won't like it being around childrens," Dobby replied confidently.

"All right, Dobby," said Severus. "But be careful. And tell the Hogwarts elves that you're bringing the bad magic to Gringotts for the goblins to destroy, so they won't think you're taking it to give to a Dark wizard."

Dobby nodded and disappeared again with another pop. It took longer than when he went to get the diary from Malfoy Manor but, twenty minutes later, he was back, holding a tiara.

"That's Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem," said Ironfist with interest. "The Horcrux in the Lestrange vault was Helga Hufflepuff's cup. We removed the Horcrux from the cup into a mouse and killed the mouse. The cup has now been cleansed. We will do the same with Ravenclaw's diadem."

"What will you do with the Founders' items? Are there Founders' vaults they could sit in?" asked Severus.

"No, there are no Founders' vaults. Gringotts Wizarding Bank was not established until long after the Founders' time."

"Perhaps you should donate them back to Hogwarts? To the school, of course, not the Headmaster. If you contact Andromeda Tonks, I'm sure she'll be able to ensure the Headmaster can't appropriate the items. Madam Tonks can also help you get as much positive publicity as possible from that gesture."

Ironfist smiled appreciatively. "That is a good suggestion, Mr Prince. I will take it to the Director."

"Gringotts has done much to help me and my son and I am only too pleased to reciprocate," Severus answered. After a moment's thought, he continued. "Dumbledore heard a prophecy before Harry was born that would indicate Harry has to be the one to destroy the Dark Lord. He has done so once already but perhaps he could be involved in the banishing ritual in some way? We would, of course, have to ensure his absolute safety before I would permit it."

Ironfist and Sharpspike exchanged uneasy looks. "We can set up a containment shield, trapping the spirit. It is not a recommended way of dealing with spirits, as sooner or later, they escape the trap. Banishing is a more permanent solution. However, we don't intend to keep Voldemort's spirit there indefinitely, so it should be sufficient to protect Harry. The ritual is quite wordy, though..."

"But Harry would only need to say the final words of the ritual, abjuring the spirit to begone," Severus suggested.

"That could work," Sharpspike confirmed. "Well, there's time to work out the details of the ritual. The Horcruxes must be dealt with first."

Severus and Ironfist both agreed. With the reassurance that Severus would be contacted when the Horcruxes had been destroyed and the goblins were ready to pursue Voldemort's spirit, Severus, Harry and Dobby returned to Prince Manor.

The days passed by lazily. Dobby found two nice house elves couples, Kizzy and Jibbs, and Lolly and Hoppo, who were in need of a Master. Jibbs became Severus' personal elf and was happy to help spend time in the greenhouses, as Severus himself did not generate much work for a personal elf — Severus preferred to clean his potions lab himself, not liking to let anyone in there. Jibbs was very dignified and suited Severus' personality well, so Severus was pleased to appoint him head elf, as well as his own personal elf. Hoppo was in charge of the grounds while Kizzy and Lolly divided the cooking, cleaning and laundry between them. In this, they were aided by Flippity, Dobby's new mate. All the elves were very happy to have been bound to the House of Prince and were thrilled to hear that they were welcome to have elf babies, as not all Masters were so generous in this respect. Flippity was ecstatic to hear that it was planned for her to become the personal elf of Harry's wife when he eventually married, as this meant that she and Dobby would be able to stay together, something which was not always possible for elf couples. As that prospect was some years down the line, Severus planned to assign Dobby's mate to care for Harry's tutor when he felt that Harry would be ready to begin a more structured education. Flippity would also be responsible for teaching the elf babies when they were born.

To begin with, Severus was focusing on Harry's speech and social skills. He was also teaching Harry his numbers and to read and write. The little boy loved it when he cuddled up to his Daddy while Severus read stories to him and was keen to be able to read the books himself. Severus mentally thanked the helpful shop assistant every day for her recommendations as to what toys to buy for Harry and, in fact, frequently bought more Lego, Duplo, puzzles and colouring books, as these all kept Harry very happily occupied for hours. However, Severus also made sure that his son had plenty of time to run around in the fresh air and get some sunshine and exercise. With all the attention paid to Harry by Dobby — indeed, all the house elves, who were delighted to have a young master to spoil — and, most especially, his Daddy, who was surprisingly patient with the little boy, he was flourishing in his new life.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

In the middle of October, Severus was summoned back to Gringotts London for a meeting with Sharpspike and Ironfist. Greetings over, they got down to business.

"Mr Prince, do you know the exact prophecy regarding Harry and the Dark Lord?" asked Sharpspike.

"I'm afraid not. I know the gist of it but Dumbledore didn't want me to know the exact prophecy in case I took it to the Dark Lord. I would prefer not to take Harry to the Hall of Prophecy to collect it but if you feel it's important enough, then we shall take that chance."

"I think it would be advisable to see the prophecy before moving against the final piece of the Dark Lord's spirit," Sharpspike said regretfully. "It would be best if we knew the exact wording, in case there is anything we need to take into consideration."

Severus sighed and summoned Dobby, who promptly arrived with a pop. "Dobby, please can you bring Harry here?" he asked.

When Dobby arrived back a moment later with Harry in tow, Severus turned to Sharpspike. "Can you put goblin glamours on us, please? I believe these can't be detected by wizard magic?"

"That is so but when you enter the Ministry and present your wand, it will register as that of Rennard Prince. I wouldn't put it past the old meddler to have issued instructions that he be informed if ever Rennard Prince enters the Ministry," mused Ironfist.

At Severus' request, Andromeda Tonks had not yet moved against Dumbledore. Severus wanted to wait until after the Dark Lord had been dealt with. With the knowledge that the death of the Dark Lord would kill all his marked followers, this would be the ultimate proof that Voldemort was gone. If Dumbledore tried to claim otherwise, he would look like a deluded old fool who was determined to hang onto his past glory days, thus strengthening Andromeda's position when she tried to oust Dumbledore from the Wizengamot. Therefore, with Dumbledore still firmly ensconced as Chief Warlock, Severus had to agree with Ironfist that Dumbledore would have issued instructions to the security guard to notify him immediately if Rennard Prince should ever enter the Ministry building.

As a disappointed Severus sat back in his seat with a huff, his eye fell on Dobby and his face brightened. "Dobby, are you able to enter the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries without detection?" he asked the loyal little elf.

"Yes, Master Prince. Dobby can do that," Dobby nodded.

Severus' black eyes gleamed. "It never ceases to amaze me how much wizards discount other races," he commented. "Dobby, I want you to go there and find an orb labelled _SPT to APWBD, Dark Lord and Charlie Potter_. Don't touch it when you find it, just come straight back here."

Sharpspike and Ironfist were both grinning evilly in appreciation for this means of circumventing the official security guards. "Wizards regard house elves as little more than vermin — useful vermin, but vermin nonetheless — and they forget that elves have their own magic and can go anywhere undetected," they agreed.

While they waited for Dobby to return, Sharpspike applied the glamour to Harry. "Before you apply mine," said Severus. "Can you make it so that Harry can see the real me, despite the glamour? I don't want him to be alarmed by seeing me with a different face."

By the time Ironfist had finished glamouring Severus, Dobby was back. "Dobby, please can you take Harry and myself directly to that orb?" Severus asked. Dobby took his hand and Harry's hands and Severus felt the familiar squeezing sensation of apparition. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the stacks in the Department of Mysteries.

"There it is," said Dobby pointing.

Severus picked up Harry and perched him on his hip. "Harry, please can you pick up that ball?" he asked, pointing to the one that Dobby had indicated and holding Harry right in front of the relevant orb. Fortunately, the orbs were always enchanted so that only the people the prophecy _truly_ concerned could pick them up and not the people actually listed on the label, since it was not always immediately clear to whom a prophecy was referring and mistaken assumptions had therefore been made in the past.

"Only that one," he said, as Harry reached out his hand. "Well done," he said, when Harry picked it up and looked at him questioningly. Harry beamed at the praise. Task done, Dobby took each of their hands and popped them back to Gringotts.

Severus walked over to Ironfist's desk. "Harry, please put the ball on the desk," he instructed the little boy. Harry looked reluctant, so Severus conjured a facsimile of the glass orb. Instead of housing a prophecy, the facsimile housed glowing lights in a myriad of colours, almost like multi-coloured fireflies flitting about the orb. This was much more interesting to look at and Harry eagerly swapped the prophecy orb for the new one. Fortunately, Severus had thought to make it unbreakable, as he could see it was going to become a favoured toy.

With a word from Severus, Dobby took Harry back home. Raising his eyebrow in a mute question, Severus withdrew his wand. Ironfist nodded and Severus aimed a finely judged Reductor Curse at the orb. Rather than smashing the orb into smithereens, he only used enough power to break it open. An image of Sybill Trelawney appeared before them.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..." __⁶_

After listening to the prophecy, Severus sat back contemplatively. "Well, that was interesting," he commented sarcastically.

"What is the power Harry has that the Dark Lord won't know?" asked Sharpspike. "Harry hasn't shown any unusual abilities, has he?"

"No, but that could mean anything," replied Severus, after a moment's thought. "It could mean having my support or that of the Goblin Nation. Alternatively, the banishment ritual calls upon the gods, doesn't it? The Dark Lord certainly didn't believe in or accept the concept of a higher authority — as far as he was concerned, there was only power and those willing to use it — so calling upon the gods could be the power the Dark Lord knows not. There's also the fact that we don't know how Harry defeated the Dark Lord in 1981; whatever he did then may have been the relevant power, as whatever it was will have led indirectly to the Dark Lord's demise."

Sharpspike laughed a vicious sounding laugh. "That prophecy can easily be taken apart to prove that it has already taken place, should Dumbledore try to publicise it in an effort to prove his case that Voldemort still exists after the banishment ritual has been completed. Both boys have scars from that night, don't they?" Severus nodded. "So it can be claimed that Charlie Potter was marked by Voldemort as his equal. And Voldemort was killed by the Boy-Who-Lived by a power that _none_ of us know of, never mind Voldemort, since no adult was there to witness what the boy actually did to defeat him that Halloween night."

Severus chuckled. "You're right. I was concerned about how to warn Potter senior about Dumbledore's plans for his son when the Dark Lord returns. However, if we do our job right, the Dark Lord won't actually return, so it won't matter if Dumbledore continues to be obsessed with the Potter child. The old manipulator can have the child trained all he wants and if the training is never put to use, well, there's no harm done — just as long as Dumbledore doesn't arrange a heroic death for him, just so he can claim he was right all along." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he contemplated the very real possibility of that happening. "All right, the Potters still need to be warned about Dumbledore but it can wait until after we've dealt with the Dark Lord."

"Agreed," said Ironfist.

"Is that the original prophecy orb or did you make a duplication?" asked Sharpspike with interest.

Severus sighed regretfully. "I would have preferred to make a duplication and leave that behind but if I don't know if the protections on the original orb would then settle on the duplicate and didn't really want to hang around long enough to examine the wards in that much detail. The consequences if the wrong person takes a prophecy orb are extreme. I may not like Potter senior but I won't have it on my conscience if Charlie Potter is injured through trying to pick it up. When the Dark Lord's demise takes his followers, Dumbledore, Potter and Black will take Charlie straight to the Hall of Prophecy to try and work out what has happened. Just because the prophecy has been fulfilled, that won't mean that the orb will automatically disappear. As far as I'm aware, they remain in the Hall of Prophecy until claimed."

Sharpspike nodded. From a tactical point of view, he agreed that a duplication would have been better, so that no one would know the prophecy had been taken, but he had to agree with Severus' reasoning regarding Charlie Potter. Suddenly he smiled a very nasty smile. "Dumbledore will probably conclude that somehow Voldemort managed to take it. I doubt it would occur to him that he was wrong about the Boy-Who-Lived, any more than he could be wrong about his assumption that Voldemort will return."

"You're probably right," said Severus wryly.

"Mr Prince," said Ironclaw. "We have determined that the best time to complete the banishment ritual will be on Samhain. It will complete that which was begun on the same night five years ago. I know that wizards regard that night as Halloween but this ritual is better suited to Samhain, when spirits moved freely between the worlds and animals were selected for slaughter for the winter, than it is to modern day Halloween."

Severus nodded in agreement. This made sense. "In that case, the gods we call upon should be the Celtic gods, since Samhain is of Celtic origin," he considered.

"Forest gods will also be important, since his spirit is defiling the forests in Albania," suggested Sharpspike. "As will the gods of justice and judgement, balance and death."

"I don't want to call upon an entire pantheon but a selection of each of those types of gods would probably be a good idea," Severus agreed. "I'll do some research and choose those I think most appropriate."

.o.O.o.

On the eve of Samhain, Severus portkeyed to Albania with Ironfist, Sharpspike, a team of goblin warriors and the goblin priests, the latter of whom were chanting and beating on drums, as they had done for the ritual of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. Severus did not want Harry anywhere near the evening's events if it could possibly be avoided. Since, according to Sharpspike and Ironfist, he had declared himself Harry's champion in the ritual of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire — he still had no memory of what he actually said during the ritual — he would try himself to banish the last remnant of the Dark Lord on Harry's behalf. However, should it not be sufficient for him to perform the banishment ritual alone, then Dobby was standing by to apparate Harry in if Severus called for him. The goblins had already performed the containment ritual, trapping the Dark Lord's spirit in place, so they did not need to worry about him escaping while they called for Harry.

Severus had taught Harry the final part of the invocation — _Begone, foul spirit, begone!_ — and had practised with Harry what the little boy should do if he were needed. Dobby would apparate Harry to the clearing, Harry would say the words and then Dobby would instantly pop him away again, meaning that Harry would only be present for a matter of seconds. Severus was taking no chances and, although every effort had been made to ensure Harry's safety and well-being, Healer Cutwell also accompanied the team just in case.

Bonfires had been lit around the clearing in which the Dark Lord's final spirit piece had been contained. According to the goblin warriors who had tracked him down and kept watch to be sure he remained in this place until the time of the ritual, his spirit had apparently been residing there for some time. The trees and shrubs, flowers and grass, were all diseased and dying, so herbs, spices and crystals for regrowth, cleansing, purification and protection were scattered around the edges of the clearing, with more burning in the flames of the bonfires.

At a signal from the lead priest, Severus stepped forward. "I call upon the goddess of Samhain, Mongfiohnn on this Samhain night; I call upon Mother Nature, Gaia; I call upon the gods of magic, Cerridwen, Morrigan and Hecate; I call upon the gods of law and order, justice and judgement, Themis, Dike and Thoth; I call upon the gods of balance, the spirits of divine retribution, Ma'at, Nemesis and Adrasteia; I call upon the gods of the forest, Cernunnos, Provata, Medeina, Silvanus and Melikki; I call upon the Lords of the Underworld, Hades, Tartarus and Osiris. Divine Lords and Ladies, hear my words, hear my plea. Before me is the spirit of Tom Marvolo Riddle."

As Severus pronounced the Dark Lord's hated Muggle name, the black spirit glowed red in anger. "You dare call me that? I will destroy you!" the spirit howled.

Severus ignored it and carried on. "Lord Voldemort is the name he has chosen for himself. Voldemort — flee from death. Voldemort — Tom Riddle — is guilty of hubris, of arrogance before the gods. He has chosen to defy the laws of nature. He has chosen to defy death. He has created abominations. He has polluted the forests and defiled the earth with his very presence. He brings nothing but death and disease. His soul anchors have already been sent on to the Underworld. I beg of you, cleanse the forests of his evil. Send the final remnant of his soul to the deepest pits of Tartarus, there to await judgement and punishment. Banish him forever from this earth, never to return. Divine Lords, hear my prayer, grant us this grace. Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Dark Lord Voldemort, I abjure thee, in the name of all who you and your followers have harmed, maimed or killed, in the name of all who you and you followers have attacked with malice and hatred, begone from this plane forevermore, never to return. Begone, foul spirit, begone!"

Severus finished the invocation and held his breath, waiting to see if it would be successful or if he would need to call for Harry. An unearthly scream issued from the spirit of Voldemort and the spirit of the Dark Lord pulsed black. The bonfires exploded, the flames reaching up to the sky and shooting sparks which blended together to form a protective dome above the clearing. Winds whirled around the clearing like a cyclone, the swirling mass covering the entire clearing but not affecting Severus or the goblins in the slightest. Instead, the vortex gathered up the spirit of the Dark Lord within it and rose up into the air, beneath the protective dome. Suddenly, it arrowed sharply downwards, penetrating deep into the bowels of the earth. Simultaneously, a flash of radiant, incandescent light blazed around the clearing and the winds abruptly ended. The resultant silence was absolute. Severus and the goblins could feel the purity of the light as it washed over them and when they regained their senses and looked around the clearing, they saw that it had been cleansed. It was once again brimming with life and new growth, with no signs remaining of the taint and rot, the disease and death caused by the presence of the Dark Lord's spirit.

Severus sagged in relief and Sharpspike and Ironfist, who were standing on either side of him, grabbed hold of him, supporting him so that he would not fall to the ground from fatigue. "You have done a good thing here tonight," Ironfist said to Severus.

"We all have," he replied shakily. "I couldn't have done it alone. I owe the Goblin Nation my most grateful thanks."

Cutwell strode over to them. "Take a Pepperup potion before you collapse," he said, abruptly thrusting a vial into Severus' hand, which Severus gratefully drank. Feeling steadier on his feet, he gently shook off Ironfist's and Sharpspike's supporting hold. Bowing to the three goblins who had led the team tonight, Severus thanked them all profusely for their help.

Cutwell grunted grumpily and stomped away, muttering about the foolishness and dangers of heroics and bravado. Severus exchanged a wry look with Ironfist and Sharpspike, before nodding in acknowledgement once more and bidding them farewell. The goblin priests had already left and the warriors were making a final check to be sure that the fires were all safely extinguished and would not ravage the forest; Cutwell was waiting with the team until their job was complete. Sharpspike and Ironfist portkeyed back to Gringotts and Severus portkeyed home, ready to collapse into an exhausted, but relieved, sleep.

Arriving back in Prince Manor, Severus went first to Harry's bedroom. The little boy was tucked up in bed and Dobby was crooning to him. Severus sat down on the edge of the bed and took Harry in his arms, grateful beyond anything that the night's ritual had been successful and that Harry had not needed to be present. Harry stirred sleepily and Severus continued cuddling him until the weary man could stay awake no more. Dobby called for Jibbs and Severus' personal elf popped him off to bed, changing the man's clothes for the pyjama trousers and t-shirt he preferred to sleep in with a snap of his fingers.

Over the next few days, chaos erupted in Britain, as it was discovered that all who had the Dark Mark had died suddenly on Samhain. Relatives and other, unmarked, followers were all crying foul play but the accusation that the DMLE might have arranged this was treated with derision. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Senior, reacted with scorn to this suggestion, but remembering the ruthlessness with which he had sentenced his own son to Azkaban for being a Death Eater, there were those who wondered if he might indeed be responsible. Amelia Bones, who sat on the Wizengamot as Head of House Bones and was fast rising in the ranks of the DMLE treated the accusations with derision.

"Most of the people who died that night, either died in Azkaban — and I assure you that all the guards have been interviewed under Veritaserum and cleared — or else they died in their own homes, behind their own wards, with no breaches in those wards being reported. How were we supposed to have done this? How were we supposed to bypass the wards? Where would we have got the resources for such a comprehensive act as this? Might I remind you that since the end of the war, the funding for the DMLE has been cut down to an absolute — and untenable — low and the majority of the Auror Office has been fired," she pointed out scathingly when questioned in the Wizengamot chamber.

In the meantime, Albus Dumbledore was in shock. It was clear that the death of all the Death Eaters was somehow connected to Voldemort but he still did not believe that the Dark Lord was dead and vehemently said so. "It has been prophesied that Charlie Potter should kill Lord Voldemort and I assure you he has done no such thing," he pronounced loftily.

"Is that so?" drawled Andromeda Tonks. "So what happened to Lord Voldemort on Halloween 1981 in that case?" she asked, ignoring the shudders from around her at the mention of Voldemort's name.

"Lord Voldemort was defeated temporarily, Madam Tonks," Dumbledore said patronisingly.

"Oh? And how do you know that, Chief Warlock?" she asked with false sweetness.

Forgetting Andromeda's formidable reputation as a lawyer, Dumbledore fell for the act and kindly explained. "Because his followers still lived."

Amelia Bones narrowly beat Andromeda to the punch. "Following that logic, doesn't that mean that if his followers have all simultaneously dropped dead, then he must now be dead as well, Chief Warlock?"

"Well, no. Because Charlie Potter didn't kill him." The condescension was back in Dumbledore's voice.

Andromeda went in for the kill. "Tell me, Chief Warlock, were you in Charlie Potter's bedroom when Lord Voldemort entered it with the intention of killing Charlie Potter? Do you know what it is that Charlie Potter actually did to defeat Lord Voldemort on Halloween 1981? Should you be correct that Voldemort didn't really die that night, can you guarantee that whatever Charlie Potter did wasn't something lingering, which has only now taken full effect? Alternatively, consider this: if Voldemort linked his followers to him so that they would all die along with him, perhaps it has been their life force and their magic that has sustained their Master all this time. Severus Snape, who we all know was marked, recently died. And no, Chief Warlock, I'm not denying that Severus Snape was your spy. It simply doesn't alter the fact that he had the Dark Mark. Another marked follower also died not long before Samhain. Is it not possible that without them, the link to his remaining followers was insufficient to sustain Lord Voldemort and when it was no longer strong enough, it broke and he died, taking his followers with him?"

Amelia Bones was enjoying watching Dumbledore splutter in indignation as Andromeda fired out questions at the Chief Warlock, as though he were on trial. Unfortunately for him, what Andromeda had suggested was all too plausible, especially taking into account Dumbledore's justification for thinking that Voldemort had not died four years previously. It was concluded that Charlie Potter had indeed made the killing blow and that the Dark Lord's death had simply been lingering — very lingering, some might say. Dumbledore was clearly still in denial but the rest of the Wizengamot were happy to put the issue to rest and move onto other matters.

Andromeda also had a quiet word with her cousin, Sirius Black. "The goblins have confirmed that Voldemort died, finally and completely, on Samhain this year. They won't tell me how they know — they refuse to share this information with wizards — but they assure me they have absolute proof. Voldemort isn't suddenly going to come back to life some years down the line. I suggest you warn the Potters. Dumbledore still doesn't accept Voldemort is dead and he's showing an unhealthy obsession with their son as a result. They may wish to protect him from Dumbledore's paranoia."

Sirius took note. For all his faults, he genuinely cared for Charlie and he trusted Andromeda's judgement. When he discussed the matter with James and Lily Potter, they agreed. "There's no harm in continuing to train Charlie to defend himself," said James. "But not to train him to be a pawn on the old man's chess board. Andromeda is a very astute woman and if she feels something isn't right about Dumbledore, then I'm going to heed her advice. Lily and I have both talked about this and something isn't sitting right about it with us, either. It's as though there's something very important that we've both forgotten about but we can't work out what it could be. It's making Lily very scared of the interest the old man is showing in Charlie. We're his parents, not Dumbledore, and we'll make the decisions regarding our son."

Sirius agreed. When Andromeda reported back, Severus thought that perhaps they were trying to remember Harry. The former spy did not think Dumbledore was to blame for the Potters having forgotten the boy but, as they were already feeling uneasy about Dumbledore, it would appear that their unease was inclining them to attribute their impression of something being missing to the meddlesome, old man. Severus did not pass this information on, however. _Dumbledore may not be at fault in this instance but if it helps the Potters be wary of the old coot, then it's all to the good,_ he decided.

Severus did briefly feel guilty about taking Harry away from the Potters when it really did seem that it was not their fault they had forgotten him, although it was frustrating him that he still did not know what had caused that to happen, other than his speculation with Ironfist and Sharpspike. However, Severus also remembered Gillie's adamant declaration that "Harry No-Name is not a Potter." This had been reinforced by the blood adoption and the ritual of the Sacred Blue Moon Fire. Harry truly was no longer a Potter. _The magic in my vow led me to Harry and I love him. He is _my_ son now,_ Severus thought mutinously. In all honesty, Severus could not justify returning Harry to the Potters. It would be too traumatic for the little boy to be moved again and to have to get used to living with new people. _It would be too traumatic for me, too,_ Severus admitted. Deciding that he had to do what was best for his son and not for the Potters, Severus resolutely put it out his mind.

Over the next few months Andromeda Tonks continued to stir up a hornets' nest regarding Dumbledore. Unfortunately, while it damaged his reputation considerably, it was still not enough to oust him from his positions as Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts. The knowledge that he had not brought the banning of Unbreakable Vows before the Wizengamot, and was in fact still using them himself, was sufficient for the ICW to remove him as Supreme Mugwump, although the Wizengamot chose to retain him as their sitting member on the ICW — perhaps hoping that his efforts to regain his position as Supreme Mugwump would take his attention away from Britain.

Losing the position as Supreme Mugwump had annoyed the old man but not to the extent that losing either of his other positions would have done, since the international wizarding community did not in any case worship at the altar of the almighty Albus Dumbledore the way Britain did. While the additional title had given him more prestige within Britain, he did not regard it as a great loss in real terms. Certainly, he did not regard it as being as great a loss as the proxy for the Prince seat on the Wizengamot, especially as a new ruling had been introduced that no member of the Wizengamot could hold the proxy or Regency for more than one seat, in addition to their own, and he had been forced to give up almost all the proxies he had held. Although he still held most of his prestigious positions, the damage his reputation had suffered was therefore enough to make him desperate to gain access to and control over Rennard Prince, as he would happily give up his one remaining proxy in order to regain that of the House of Prince.

.o.O.o.

⁶ _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37._


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

As Harry's sixth birthday approached, Severus felt his son was ready for a proper tutor. It did not seem advisable to send Harry to school, as Albus Dumbledore was continually sniffing round, trying to find Prince Manor and gain an audience with Rennard Prince. Sending Harry to school outside the Prince wards every day would make the little boy vulnerable. Even though he no longer looked like the son of James and Lily Potter, Severus was taking no chances of Dumbledore meeting Harry and realising to whom he had been born. Call him paranoid but he did not want Dumbledore anywhere near his son.

Severus also wanted to requalify as a Potions Master. Rennard Prince's background story was that he had been born to older parents and had been fragile as a child, hence their tendency to wrap him in cotton wool and their consequent decision not to send him away to school. After their passing, he had rebelled somewhat against his quiet and restricted lifestyle, and had gone off to travel the world instead of settling down immediately to marriage and a profession. Harry had been the result of a liaison during his travels. The boy's mother had died in childbirth and Rennard had spent the past few years devoting himself to his son. During those years, Rennard had taught himself for his Mastery and, now that his son was ready for a tutor, he would have the time to gain this important qualification.

Severus had been in contact with a number of Europe's most distinguished 'Light' Potions Masters, people with whom he had occasionally corresponded in the past but had never actually met in person. His plan was to invite one of these Potions Masters to come and visit Prince Manor after Harry began lessons with his new tutor, an invitation which, after Severus published and patented some of his new potions in the name of Rennard Prince, he felt confident they would happily accept. Severus hoped that once they had met him in person and had tested his knowledge of and ability with potions, they would be willing to grant him Mastery status, even though his skill had supposedly been gained through independent study rather than the traditional apprenticeship route.

Severus had created many potions which he had not previously published, since Dumbledore would not have approved of this use of his time and would very likely have tried to make Severus put the patents in Hogwarts' name. While Severus did not begrudge the school, he did begrudge Albus Dumbledore the credit for his hard work, and so had kept his original potions a secret. Severus' potions journals, which detailed the development and recipes for these potions, were written in Muggle shorthand. Dumbledore may speak many languages but he was completely unfamiliar with the concept of shorthand. When Severus was growing up, a neighbour's daughter had attended secretarial college and had taught him shorthand, claiming it helped her to learn if she had a study partner. Fortunately, Tobias Snape was unaware of this, because he would not have approved since, in his chauvinistic outlook on life, shorthand was for girls. Even if Dumbledore had been able to break the wards on Severus' journals to look inside them, he would never have been able to read them, and this kept the knowledge of the potions which Severus had developed safe from the old man.

Severus put out the word to Gringotts and they soon had a number of potential tutors lined up for Severus to interview during the last week of July. Severus decided it was time to accustom Harry to being around people and he resolved to spend a couple of afternoons relaxing and sightseeing in Geneva with Harry after his interviews. During the interviews, Severus narrowed down the candidates to three possibilities and asked them all back for a second interview, wanting them to meet Harry, so he could see how they interacted with his son.

After the second round of interviews with his short-listed candidates, it was very obvious which candidate to choose. Claire Bonnay was the only woman to apply and Harry had adored her. Severus had specified male candidates to Gringotts, as he was not entirely comfortable with the idea of a single woman moving into his home, but Claire Bonnay's background and qualifications were too good to overlook. It turned out that she was the granddaughter of Marius Black, who had been disowned by his family for being a Squib. Marius' daughter had married a Frenchman and when it became obvious that Claire was magical, it was decided to send Claire to Beauxbatons, away from the rest of the unpredictable, and not entirely rational, magical Black family, for fear of how they might react to her presence at Hogwarts.

Upon completing her studies at Beauxbatons, Claire had gone to a Muggle university, where she qualified as a primary school teacher. The intelligent and caring young woman wanted to open a magical primary school, which would give the pupils both an introduction to magical education and a Muggle primary school education. Not surprisingly, there had been no interest in such an institution in Britain and so Claire had consulted Madam Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, regarding the possibility of opening such a school in France, ideally affiliated to Beauxbatons. Madam Maxime had promised to consider the idea and get back to Claire but had then heard about this job opening and had put Claire's name forward to the goblins. It was not what Claire truly wanted to do but she had come to realise that she needed more practical teaching experience before she could develop a successful school and this would be a good stepping stone towards her ultimate goal. Assuming all went well, she would spend the next few years tutoring Harry and then when he went to Beauxbatons, Hogwarts or Switzerland's highly exclusive Catius Pater School of Magic⁷, that would be the time for her to try and realise her dream. Besides, she had been unable to resist Harry when she met him.

Harry had been very nervous around the two male candidates but had gravitated towards Claire immediately. The young boy had latched onto her from the moment he met her and had been in close contact with her — sitting on her knee or holding her hand — during the entire second interview, which took place in his presence. Severus knew his son needed a mother figure, and as he himself was not interested in finding a witch to settle down with at this point in time, Harry seemed to have unconsciously selected Claire to fill that role. It was agreed that she would come to Prince Manor during the last week of August, which would give her sufficient time to settle in before she started teaching Harry on Monday, the first of September.

The first afternoon that Severus spent with Harry in Geneva, they went on a boat trip on the lake. Harry had never seen a body of water before — there was neither a pond nor a stream in Prince Manor — and was so fascinated by the lake that the day after meeting with Claire, Severus took his son to one of the lakeside beaches. Harry was instantly drawn to a little girl around his age, with bushy brown hair and chocolate-coloured eyes. Within minutes they had made friends and were happily playing together.

After watching the two children play for a several minutes, the little girl's parents approached Severus. "Hello. I'm Helen Granger and this is my husband, John," she said, holding out her hand with a smile. "And that's our daughter, Hermione."

Severus took her hand and shook it warmly. "I'm Rennard Prince and that's my son, Harry," he replied. "We live quite remotely, so Harry's not used to being around other children. I'm glad to see him playing so happily with your daughter."

"I'm not sure _playing_ is quite the right word," said John with a wide grin. "I think it's more like Hermione's telling Harry what to do and he's doing it!"

Severus snorted in amusement. He liked this couple. They were friendly without being pushy and had been nothing but kind and welcoming to the strange little boy who had firmly plonked himself down on the sand next to their daughter. The husband at least had a deprecating sense of humour that appealed to Severus and there was an unmistakeable intelligence about both of the Grangers. Harry would be in safe hands for his first experience of mixing with others.

The three adults sat and chatted while they watched their children play in the sand. The Grangers, it turned out, were both dentists. They had spent the last two years serving on Mercy Ships' SS Anastasis⁸ but were now planning to return to Britain and settle down in one place. Hermione had lived on the ship with them but there were not many other children on-board for her to socialise with — and none as young as her — and it was time she began a more formal education. Hermione was extremely bright and home-schooling while on board ship was not challenging her enough.

John's parents had found a dental practice near to their home which was looking for new partners. John and Helen were on their way back to Britain to see if this practice might suit them but they had stopped off in Geneva on the way, since John had been offered a position at the World Health Organisation as a result of his work on Mercy Ships. John's parents lived in a small country village and the dental practice served several nearby villages. John and Helen were concerned that after their recent experiences they would find it hard to settle in the quiet countryside and that the local village school would not have the necessary resources to deal adequately with their inordinately intelligent daughter. They therefore felt that city living, with its inevitable variety of schooling options, would suit them better, and cosmopolitan Geneva, with its truly international community, strongly appealed to them. Although only John had been offered a position with the WHO, Helen was confident she would easily find work too. All three Grangers spoke fluent French and they would live and work in the French-speaking canton of Switzerland, should they decide to settle in that country.

The children had been happily playing in the sand for some time when Severus felt a tingle of magic. Not wanting to take out his wand in front of non-magicals, he nevertheless palmed his wand discreetly while he cast silent spells to help him pinpoint the source of the magic he had felt. With an internal groan, he saw Albus Dumbledore approaching him. Realising that the tingle he had felt was Dumbledore casting a Notice-Me-Not charm to prevent the other Muggles in the vicinity paying attention to the wizards, Severus added a wandless _Muffliato_, which would fill the ears of the people nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing sound; they would think they were hearing the buzz of conversation but that it was pitched at such a level that they could not make out individual words.

"Mr Prince?" Dumbledore called, as he neared them. "May I have a word?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus could see John and Helen trying not to gape. Here they were in a non-magical area and Dumbledore was in his usual brightly coloured wizarding robes and his ridiculously long beard and hair. _The vain old fool probably thinks it makes him look like Merlin!_ Severus thought uncharitably, as he had countless times before.

"No, Mr Dumbledore, you may not," replied Severus firmly, rising from his seat and standing between Dumbledore and the rest of his party. "I do believe my representative has made that clear to you several times now. I have no interest whatsoever in speaking to you."

John and Helen sensed his unease and moved to stand between Severus and the children, adding another layer of protection for them against this crazy looking man. Severus gave them a grateful nod. Although they could not do much against a wizard, Dumbledore could hardly do anything to Harry if the Grangers were between Dumbledore and Harry, as the manipulative old codger would need a direct line of sight.

"Rennard, my boy," Albus began in his usual patronising manner, only to be cut off immediately by Severus.

"Mr Dumbledore!" he snapped. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe this is the first time we have ever met? I am not, nor have I ever been, _your boy_, and I take great exception to your offensively patronising and condescending attitude. I have not given you permission to use my first name, nor am I an ignorant child and I would appreciate it you would not treat me as such. You will address me with respect or you can leave. In fact, you can leave anyway, as I have nothing whatsoever to say to you."

Severus could tell that for all he was masking his emotions, Albus Dumbledore was fuming at being so summarily dismissed. Severus, on the other hand, was enjoying the freedom of finally being able to respond to Dumbledore in the manner in which he had always wished.

"Now, Mr Prince. Is there really a need for this hostility?" said Dumbledore through gritted teeth.

"This from the man who held my cousin in an illegal slave bond?" asked Severus, allowing his contempt for the older man to show through.

"You know, that could be construed as slander, Mr Prince," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling at having caught Rennard Prince in a misstep — or so he thought.

"Really? Tell me, Mr Dumbledore, were you not until very recently the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW? Were you not in fact the Supreme Mugwump when the ICW voted to make Unbreakable Vows illegal? And as Supreme Mugwump, were you not obliged to uphold and obey the laws of the ICW? And yet you forced Severus Snape into slavery with an illegal Unbreakable Vow. That's not slander, Mr Dumbledore. That's fact. And I have the evidence to prove it."

"And you're so sure this so-called proof is valid?" asked Dumbledore dismissively.

"Yes, Mr Dumbledore, I am. I have in my possession a memory of him taking the Unbreakable Vow, which has been certified as untampered with and which has been stored in a safe place. Besides, if you're claiming Severus was lying, then you won't mind substantiating that claim under Veritaserum, will you? As the current Head of House Prince, I have the right to defend my cousin's reputation, even after his death."

"That is what I wished to speak with you about," replied Dumbledore, as always completely ignoring what he did not want to hear. Who would insist that he, Albus Dumbledore, should be questioned under Veritaserum, after all? The idea was so preposterous that he immediately dismissed it and moved on to the reason he had tracked down the elusive Rennard Prince. "Regarding the Prince seat on the Wizengamot, I really must insist..."

Again, Severus interrupted him. "Who are you to insist?" he roared. "This is family business and you have no right or justification to interfere. Understand this, Mr Dumbledore, I will _never_ give the proxy for the Prince seat to _you_! Now, if you'll excuse me, if you won't leave, then I will!"

At that moment, a boy of about nine or ten who was running up the beach, accidentally ran right through the sandcastle Harry and Hermione were building, thus spoiling it. Severus could tell it had not been intentional but rather he had not seen it due to the Notice-Me-Not charm that Dumbledore had used. The next thing Severus knew, there was another surge of magic, this one not as controlled, and the boy tripped over his feet and fell over. Looking at Harry to see if he was the source of this second burst of magic, he was surprised to see Hermione sitting there with a mutinous look on her face, glaring at the boy.

_Did she do that?_ he wondered. _Is she a witch?_

Glancing at Helen and John, he saw them eyeing Hermione suspiciously. _Yes, accidental magic would be another good reason to leave the ship, I would imagine,_ he concluded. _Merlin only knows what kind of mayhem she could cause on board if she doesn't know she's doing magic or how to control it._

Dumbledore, of course, promptly whipped out his wand, ready to Obliviate the Grangers. Severus, however, had been expecting this from the moment Dumbledore had appeared. Of course, he did not know that the young Granger girl was a witch and would have a burst of accidental magic in front of Dumbledore, but he did know that there was no way Dumbledore would let a group of Muggles remember anything about this encounter. Severus, on the other hand, was not so sanguine about Obliviating people at the drop of a hat — or flick of a wand! — and with the discovery that Hermione was a witch, saw no reason to allow it.

"_Expelliarmus!_" he snapped, catching the wand as it flew to him. Unknown to Severus, he had just rendered the Elder wand useless to Dumbledore, much to the older wizard's despair.

"How dare you?" Severus continued. "Does your arrogance know no bounds? This is a _Muggle_ beach and yet you come here dressed like a circus sideshow act and just assume it's your right to Obliviate people instead of your duty to try and blend in! What were you planning to do? Obliviate the entire beach? Well, let me tell you this, Albus Dumbledore: first of all, you have no authority to act in Switzerland; secondly, in this country we don't randomly mess with people's minds just because we can. In fact, as soon as a child has their first bout of accidental magic, they are informed of magic and are given guidance and help, so the child can control him or herself, and so the child is prepared for their entry into the wizarding world at age eleven. Unlike in Britain, where it's deemed preferable to let the parents and child struggle alone, and wonder if there's something seriously wrong with the child; where it's deemed appropriate to wipe people's minds and risk causing permanent brain damage, instead of teaching control so that accidental magic is minimised. I will not allow you to do that, Dumbledore. As of now, the Grangers are under the protection of the House of Prince and should you try to cause them harm, the House of Prince will declare a blood feud against the House of Dumbledore. Merlin knows, I have sufficient justification."

"But unless I'm mistaken, this family is British," protested Dumbledore, self-righteously.

"But unless I'm mistaken," Severus mocked him. "British or not, we're not actually in Britain right now."

Hermione's ire was abruptly transferred to Dumbledore. Harry was equally upset. Although neither child understood what was actually happening, one thing both children did understand was that this disturbingly peculiar old man with the long beard and garish clothes was a threat to them. They each unconsciously reached out and grasped the other's hand tightly. A wild surge of magic lashed out again, this time from both children, and enhanced by their close contact. Dumbledore found himself lying face down in the sand, with a mound of sand on top of him, anchoring him in place. Severus was quick to apply a Body Bind charm to the old meddler, before making sure that the Notice-Me-Not charm was at full force.

Of course, so much magic could not go by unnoticed and with silent pops, a team from the Swiss Ministry of Magic appeared. "It's all right," Severus called. "I'm Rennard Prince, Head of House Prince. At my feet is Albus Dumbledore. Mr Dumbledore came, dressed in wizarding robes, to accost me on this Muggle beach and then threatened to Obliviate these good people here when their daughter did accidental magic. I have now taken the Granger family under the protection of my House. The children — the boy is my son — reacted with accidental magic to the threat posed by Mr Dumbledore and I subsequently put him in a Body Bind to prevent him acting without authorisation. There is a Notice-Me-Not charm applied to this section of the beach and the non-magicals are unaware of what is happening. I offer you my wand to examine and my memory of the incident, if you wish."

The Ministry team, all of whom were credibly dressed as Muggles, listened carefully to Severus. When the Grangers confirmed that Dumbledore had approached them uninvited and that he had been acting in a threatening manner towards them, the man who was obviously the team leader took Severus' wand and performed _Priori Incantatem_ on it, establishing what the last spells used had been. Seeing that the latest spells used supported Severus' story, he concluded that Severus and the Grangers had been telling the truth. "Thank you for the offer of your memory, Mr Prince. We will take you up on that offer," he said gratefully.

Severus picked up a handful of sand and transfigured it into an empty, glass potions vial. Because glass is made from sand, the transfiguration would last longer than a conjured vial would. Extracting the memory, Severus sealed it in the vial. "It's unbreakable," he commented as he handed it over. "In addition, if you require testimony under Veritaserum, I will gladly provide it."

The Ministry team looked surprised. "Let's just say that I am well aware of Albus Dumbledore's tendency to assume that the law does not apply to him, and I feel it is long overdue that he be held up to a greater authority than his own," Severus explained acerbically.

The leader of the Ministry team nodded and placed a portkey on the old man's back. With a touch of the team leader's wand to the portkey, Dumbledore was gone. The rest of the team apparated away silently but the team leader approached Severus. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr Prince. It's greatly appreciated. How can we contact you if we have further questions?"

"I have an owl redirection ward on my home. Mr Dumbledore has been trying to contact me for some time and I've been avoiding him. Obviously, he didn't get the message. Frankly, I didn't trust him not to turn any letters into a portkey, not that I would have opened them without due care in any case. You can contact me through Gringotts Geneva; they check my mail for unforeseen surprises and then forward it on to me."

"Thank you, Mr Prince. My name is Timon Erhard and you can contact me through the Accidental Magic Office of the Ministry, if you have any questions," he informed Severus.

"Thank you, Mr Erhard. I appreciate your assistance," said Severus gratefully. "Oh, and here is Mr Dumbledore's wand. I confiscated it before he could attack the Grangers."

Timon Erhard took the proffered wand and disapparated back to the Swiss Ministry. Severus turned to the Grangers, who were all looking at him in shock. "I promise that I will not do anything to harm you," he said solemnly. "I realise that this wasn't the ideal way to be introduced to the wizarding world but I promise that you will be safe with me."

"Wizarding world... magic..." said Helen faintly.

"This isn't really the ideal place to explain it all to you. Would you be willing to trust me enough to come with me?" Severus asked carefully. "You're welcome to visit me in my home, or I could take you somewhere in the wizarding district? It's more public, so you might feel more comfortable there."

John and Helen looked at each other. Helen raised her eyebrows and John nodded decisively. "We'll come with you," he said. "You seem to have saved us from that crazy old man, so we have no reason to distrust you yet."

"I hope I won't give you any reason to change your minds about me," replied Severus. The three adults quickly gathered together their belongings and Severus led the Grangers towards a nearby grove of trees. "As soon as we're out of sight, I'm going to call for a couple of the house elves who work for me. They're magical beings, like Brownies, who serve wizards. They're bonded to a Master, or to a family. I know it sounds like slavery but it truly isn't, as long as they're treated well — unfortunately, not all owners do actually treat their elves well. House elves need to be bonded to be happy and healthy. If they're not bonded they wither and lose their magic; once their magic is gone, they die. If they're bonded to strong witches and wizards, they can live for generations, with the bond being passed from parent to child. They're a bit strange looking but they're very loyal and good-hearted creatures."

"Do you have many house elves bonded to you?" asked Helen hesitantly, not sure if she liked the sound of this.

Severus smiled. "There's one elf, Dobby, who is bonded to Harry personally. His mate is bonded to the House of Prince, rather than to me personally. I've promised them that when Harry marries, if his wife doesn't have an elf already bonded to her, then she can become the personal elf of Harry's wife, so that they can stay together. Apart from that, I have four other elves — two couples — although that number may soon increase. Three are bonded to the House of Prince and the other is my personal elf and major-domo. I've promised all three couples that they can have elflings if they want, since house elves need their Master's permission to have babies, so I may soon be overrun with little elves. I live on a large enough estate that I'm sure I can find plenty of work for them all to do until the young ones are old enough to find new Masters and Mistresses. I'll be very careful who I allow them to go to, though. Some people truly treat their elves appallingly and I'm not willing to let any elf leave me for a bad situation."

By this time, they had reached the treeline. Severus, holding Harry's hand, walked a few steps into the trees, remaining in sight of the Grangers, who had paused at the edge of the trees. "Jibbs! Dobby! Flippity!" he called. With a crack, the three elves appeared. The Grangers jumped in alarm, startled despite Severus' warning.

"These are Jibbs, my personal elf; Dobby, Harry's personal elf; and Flippity, Dobby's mate. Jibbs, Dobby, Flippity, these are Mr and Mrs Granger and their daughter, Hermione. Jibbs, would you please apparate Mr Granger to Prince Manor? Flippity, please take Mrs Granger. Dobby, please take Harry. I'll take Hermione. I should warn you," he said looking at the Grangers, that the sensation of being apparated is quite unpleasant but it only lasts for a few short seconds."

John took a deep breath. This day was getting weirder and weirder. "What do we need to do?" he asked nervously.

"Please, just takes my hand, Mr Granger, sir," said Jibbs. John nodded and held out his hand. "All right, Jibbs. Please would you take me to Prince Manor?" Jibbs grasped his hand with a smile and with a quiet crack, they were away.

Severus knelt down in front of Hermione, who was wide-eyed in surprise. "Don't worry, little one," he said. "I'm going to take you with me. The journey won't be very nice but it'll be over very quickly. You'll be back with your Mummy and Daddy in just a moment. All right?" Hermione nodded and Severus picked her up, settling her comfortably on his hip.

Helen, who had been watching Severus' interaction with Hermione was reassured. "Hello, Flippity," she smiled at the little lady elf. "Will you take me, please?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"Of course, Mistress Grangy," Flippity squeaked and disapparated with the pretty lady who spoke so kindly to her. Dobby had already disappeared with Harry, who was quite the veteran at being side-along apparated by now. Severus gave Hermione a reassuring smile. Holding her firmly, he twisted and apparated away.

.o.O.o.

⁷ Catius pater was the Roman god who was invoked for sharpening the minds of children as they developed intellectually; it seemed appropriate for the name of a school: en dot wikipedia dot org / wiki / List_of_Roman_birth_and_childhood_deities # Child_development

⁸ mercyships dot org dot uk — I have no idea if personnel are allowed to take their families on-board ship with them, nor do I know how many children would be aboard at any given time, what sort of age they would be or how they would be schooled. For the purposes of this story, I'm saying that there is only a small number of children on board and Hermione is the youngest by a few years, hence her parents' need to rethink her schooling.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Seconds after apparating away from the beach, Severus was standing in the foyer of Prince Manor, together with Harry and the rest of the Grangers. "All right, little one?" he asked Hermione, who was still perched on his hip. The young girl took a deep breath and smiled at him, somewhat shakily.

"Good girl," he said, kissing the top of her head, before lowering her down to stand on the floor. "Welcome to Prince Manor," he said to her parents.

"Dobby, Flippity, will you take Harry and Hermione out to the garden to play? Keep an eye on them, please. When they're ready to come inside, perhaps you could take them up to Harry's room to play there, and also give them some juice and fruit as a snack."

"Dobby and Flippity will do thats, Master Prince," said Dobby happily, as he and his mate took Harry and Hermione by the hand and led them outside.

"Dobby and Flippity will take very good care of the children. They won't let any harm come to them," Severus said, ushering his guests to a serene and comfortable sitting room, with French doors leading out to the garden. The doors were wide open and the three adults could hear the children squealing with laughter as they played.

When the three adults were sitting comfortably, with a tea tray and scones in front of them, courtesy of Kizzy and Lolly, Severus began his explanation. "As you saw, magic is real. Not a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat fakery, but real wizard and witch's magic. Back in the days of Merlin — yes, he really did exist — magicals and non-magicals lived peacefully alongside each other but over time, non-magicals began to fear magicals and with the spread of the Judeo-Christian religious faith, fear and persecution increased. From the early fifteenth century onwards the witch-hunts grew fiercer, until in the late seventeenth century, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy came into being in order to safeguard the wizarding community and hide its presence from non-magicals. Since then, the wizarding world has secretly existed alongside, but separate to, the non-magical world.

"Human magicals fall into four main categories: the first is those who call themselves Pure-bloods. These are the witches and wizards who claim to have a pure magical heritage, with no inter-marriage with those of non-magical or mixed heritage. Stuff and nonsense, if you ask me! If we magicals didn't inter-marry with those of non-magical heritage occasionally, we would have died out by now. As it is, the birth rates in the old Pure-blood families are mostly very low and many children from these families are not particularly magically powerful. Inbreeding in magicals tends to result in a lack of magic, rather than disability, like in the non-magical world. In many countries, most especially in Britain, the Pure-bloods regard themselves as the self-appointed nobility of the wizarding world. I should perhaps mention that the British wizarding world is quite medieval in its set up. Power is held by the Pure-bloods because it's inherited rather than earned, and as long as they're in power, they're never going to allow power to others. Power is addictive and those who have it are reluctant to give it up.

"Lower down the scale is those of non-magical heritage, or Muggle-born, as they're known in Britain. Non-magicals are known as Muggles. It's quite a derogative term, since wizards regard themselves as being superior to those who have no magic, despite the fact that most non-magicals are more intelligent, creative, logical and inventive than magicals. Particularly in hidebound countries such as Britain, many Pure-bloods regard Muggles as savages and barbarians. Even those who are pro-Muggle tend to regard non-magicals as little more than simpletons, I'm afraid to say.

"Between the Pure-bloods and the Muggle-born — the middle class, if you will — are those of mixed heritage, otherwise known as Half-bloods. They're tolerated better than those of Muggle birth but don't quite have the clout of Pure-bloods. Or mostly not, anyway. It depends on the particular mix in their heritage. For example, the child of a Pure-blood and Half-blood, or even a Pure-blood and a Muggle-born, has more influence than one whose ancestry is mostly of mixed heritage, going back several generations. The more distant they are from being Pure-blood, the more poorly regarded they are.

"Finally, there are those who are born to magical families but who have no magic themselves, otherwise known as Squibs — another derogatory term but I can't think of a preferable alternative off-hand. Being a Squib is regarded as a disgrace by many families and it's not at all unknown for the more fanatical Pure-bloods to kill their Squib children, as though they're animals, which need to be put down. Even those who don't go that far often disown such children. In some ways they're better off having been disowned," he mused.

"They're at a distinct disadvantage in the magical world if they don't have magic themselves. Think of it as a blind person being given a book to read that isn't in Braille and they have no one to read it to them. They can't access the story or information contained within. A Squib is unable to access magic and they therefore can't do the most basic of things, since magical homes and businesses are all powered by magic. Magic and non-magical technology don't mix well. And as you will have gathered by the fact that non-magical children tend to be disowned, the wizarding world is severely behind the times. Compare their attitude towards Squibs to that of non-magicals a century ago, who regarded those with disabilities as defective⁹. There was no provision for them and no attempt to help them. No guide dogs for the blind, no sign language for the deaf, no walking aids or any other assistance. That's the way things are for Squibs within the wizarding world. They're far better off in the long run leaving the wizarding world — preferably with their parents' blessing! — and joining the non-magical world, where they can have a life, family and career as _equals_," Severus declared passionately, the Grangers nodding in agreement with him. The world of magic may be strange to them but this they could understand.

"Of course, not all countries are stuck in the past like Britain," continued Severus. "The New World counties, such as the Americas, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are far more liberal. They don't have the concept of class that Britain and much of Europe still does. Although, to be honest, even that's mainly in Britain and in Central and Eastern Europe. The French had their revolution after all. Scandinavia and the Benelux countries are as open-minded and liberal as their non-magical counterparts. And, of course, Switzerland and Holland host major international organisations, making them among the most liberal of all, due to those influences. These countries all abide by the Statute of Secrecy — keeping the wizarding world hidden from non-magicals is still extremely important — but they're far more welcoming of first generation magicals and do not care whether a witch or wizard is Pure-blood, Half-blood or Muggle-born. All are treated equally."

Severus snorted. "There's a theory that all first generations are actually of magical heritage but it's so many generations back that the knowledge of magic in the family has been lost. For example, if we were to investigate your family tree, Hermione might be proven to be the however-many-times great-granddaughter of a Squib."

Severus suddenly looked pensive. "Do you know if your family name was ever Dagworth-Granger?" he asked curiously. "There's a Hector Dagworth-Granger in the wizarding world. If, perhaps, there was ever a Squib son, he may have chosen to change his name to Granger when leaving the wizarding world."

John looked stunned. "I believe my great-grandfather did indeed change his name from Dagworth-Granger," he replied. "I would have to check our family records to be sure but I think I heard tell of him having a brother called Hector. Does that mean...?"

"That you have magical heritage in your blood? Yes, it does. If I remember rightly, the Dagworth-Granger family has all but died out. Hector is getting on in years and I believe his wife and only child died during the air raids in the Second World War. Unfortunately, even magic can't prevent a bomb falling on your home. You should take a magical heritage test to check your lineage and, if you're proven to be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, I can arrange an introduction for you, if you like. I'm sure he would prefer to know there's someone from the family to inherit, rather than allow the Ministry to seize everything after his death because there are no remaining blood relatives. Of course, you don't need to decide this now. This is all very new to you and, I'm sure, quite overwhelming, so take your time to think about it."

"What's involved in the magical heritage test?" asked John curiously.

"A special potion needs to be brewed and then three drops of Hermione's blood will be added. This is then poured onto a sheet of parchment (or into a tapestry wall hanging in the older families) and a spell is recited. The family tree then appears on the parchment or tapestry or whatever surface you choose to use. Three drops of blood will take Hermione back five generations, to her three times great-grandfather, which ought to be sufficient. For every additional three drops of blood added, a further five generations will appear on the tree. The family tree will retain its magic and subsequent generations will appear automatically. Descendants of those who have been disowned will not appear, however, and if your great-grandfather was disowned for being a Squib, that would explain why Hermione has not appeared on his family tree tapestry, if the Dagworth-Grangers have one."

"Is the potion difficult or dangerous to brew?" asked Helen.

"Not for an experienced Potions Master," Severus replied. "I would be willing to brew it for you. Although I'm not technically a qualified Potions Master, I do have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience. I haven't undertaken a formal apprenticeship because I've been busy raising Harry but he'll begin his schooling after the summer and I hope to have the opportunity to attain my Mastery then."

"Would you mind if we take some time to think about it?" Helen asked hesitantly. Mr Prince had been very helpful and she did not want him to think she was ungrateful.

"Of course not!" Severus exclaimed. "I would be surprised indeed if you chose to rush in without considering the matter properly. From our short acquaintance, I can honestly say that it wouldn't be in character for you."

John laughed. "You'd be right about that!" he agreed. "Thank you, Mr Prince, for all your assistance and explanations."

"Call me Rennard, please." Severus sighed. "I'm afraid that was only an introduction to my story. There's more that I must explain to you — not least of which is Albus Dumbledore! Are you ready to hear more or would you prefer to take some time first to digest what I've told you so far?"

Helen and John exchanged glances. "We should probably hear it all now," Helen said finally. "In case that Dumbledore fellow decides to come after us. What was he going to do to us anyway?"

"Magical children begin their magical education at age eleven, when their magical core is settled enough to allow for it. Before then, there is no formal education. Most children are either home-schooled or privately tutored, although there are those with ties to the non-magical world who choose to send their children to non-magical schools for their initial education. In Britain, first generations are not told of the wizarding world until they turn eleven and are ready to begin their magical schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As I'm sure you can imagine, this causes a lot of heartache for the non-magical families, as they struggle to understand the reason for the strange occurrences around their children."

Severus noticed the two Doctors exchanging looks of comprehension and empathy. It was obvious that they had been suffering that same anguish over Hermione. That explained why they so easily accepted Severus' confession of the existence of the magical world. Anything would be better than thinking something was seriously wrong with your child.

"Rather than contact the non-magical families once the child shows their first signs of magic, in Britain they instead leave them to try and deal with these strange occurrences generated by their children on their own. This means that the child doesn't learn to control their accidental magic, which is usually powered by emotion — although I noticed Hermione has learned to use her magic deliberately to some extent. As the Statute of Secrecy is of paramount importance, when magic occurs in a non-magical area, in front of Muggles, then it needs to be contained. Unfortunately, in Britain, that usually means wiping people's memories of the event. In countries like Switzerland, where children are told about magic as soon as they show signs of it and are then given help to control it, their bouts of accidental magic are reduced and there's no need to go around casually violating people's minds."

"Which is what that old man wanted to do to us?" John queried with a frown.

"Unfortunately so. I'm afraid there's nothing non-magicals can do to defend themselves against something like that, much as I wish there were," Severus replied regretfully. Even Occlumency would not be possible for Muggles.

"Who is he exactly? What authority does he have to do such a terrible thing?" Helen demanded indignantly. "That's … that's _mind rape!_"

"You're not far wrong with that description," Severus agreed. "As for Dumbledore's supposed authority… over the course of history, there have been many Dark witches and wizards. A Dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald took advantage of the Second World War to further his own agenda, which, had he been successful, would have involved overturning the Statute of Secrecy and creating a new order in which wise and powerful wizards and witches (his definition of magicals, not mine!) were the benevolent overlords of the world, with non-magicals subservient to them. Dumbledore defeated him in single combat and since then has been treated as the wise and all-powerful leader of the Light.

"Since defeating Grindelwald, Dumbledore has been allowed to hold numerous public and political positions. Currently, Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcrafy and Wizardry and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, which is the ruling body, both legislative and judiciary, in wizarding Britain. It's like the House of Lords but without a House of Commons to balance it. Until recently, Dumbledore was also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation, which is equivalent to being the Secretary-General of the wizarding United Nations.

"Dumbledore became so revered for defeating Grindelwald, that he's come to believe in his own legend. In his mind, only he knows what's best for everyone and he regards himself as infallible. Unfortunately, the rest of wizarding Britain subscribes to that theory as well and treats him almost like a god. The result is that he does whatever he wants, believing it's his divine right to do so."

"So if we return to Britain to live, we'll be under his jurisdiction? Not only will Hermione be a second-class citizen but we'll likely have people messing around with our minds for no reason?" asked John warily.

"I'm afraid so," Severus sighed. "Theoretically, my putting you under the protection of my House should protect you, but in practice, that won't mean much if Dumbledore or his minions decide to go ahead and act anyway. I can claim compensation after the fact but it won't restore your memories."

"Switzerland is sounding better and better by the minute," John commented dryly.

"It's not so far away that our parents can't come and visit us, rather than us going to them," Helen agreed. "It'll be much easier for them if we're settled in once place, rather than moving around on a ship."

"You're welcome to stay here in Prince Manor for as long as you like," said Severus. "You're safe here, behind top-quality security wards. If you do decide to stay in Switzerland, once you buy your own home, I'll be happy to place wards on it that will prevent intrusion by other wizards. I'll talk to the goblins — they run the wizarding bank and are warding specialists — and they can augment the wards I erect for you. I guarantee that neither Dumbledore nor anyone else he may send after you will be able to break the wards and invade your home."

"Thank you," said John gratefully. "The idea of someone violating my mind bothers me immensely for some reason."

"You surprise me!" drawled Severus sarcastically. "Why don't I apparate you to your hotel, so you can check out? I'll stay with you in case Dumbledore has been released — although, hopefully he will have been ejected from Switzerland and told not to come back — and tries to come after you."

"I'd appreciate that," agreed John.

An hour later, the Grangers were ensconced in the guest wing. Flippity had been assigned to the Grangers to compensate for their lack of magic, although Severus intended to change many of the manor's enchantments, such as the operation of the lights, to simple voice recognition rather than the detection of a magical core. It would take a few days to complete but until then, Flippity was happy to help. With the addition of some old-fashioned, non-technological paraffin lamps, candles and matches, the Grangers would cope in the meantime. They went to bed that night with a selection of wizarding history books, to try and gain a sense of this new and strange world they had just been introduced to.

John accepted the job offer from the WHO and Helen began looking for a dental practice that needed a new partner, all the while mothering both Harry and Hermione impartially. Severus had created a reusable, password operated portkey for John to get him to and from work. It took him to an unremarkable alleyway close to the WHO building and he was able to return back to Prince Manor from any place, as it was keyed to the destination rather than the point of origin. When Helen bought into a dental practice in Geneva, Severus created a similar portkey for her, too. Both dentists wore their portkeys at all times, since they were in fact their wedding rings. This meant that if they were ever faced with a less than congenial witch or wizard, they would not have to waste valuable time searching for their portkeys but could leave immediately.

But that came later, as Helen did not start working immediately. The Grangers had never wanted Hermione to be an only child but, once she had started showing signs of accidental magic, they had been wary of having another child when they did not know what was wrong with their precious daughter. Now they knew there was nothing _wrong_ with Hermione — she was simply magical. Much relieved, and knowing that they now had Severus and Claire to assist them with the challenges of raising a magical child — or children! — John and Helen started trying for a second child almost immediately, and a year to the day from their first and fortuitous meeting with Rennard and Harry Prince, Nathaniel Granger was born.

Time passed but the Grangers did not find a home. It was left unspoken that they were very happy living at Prince Manor and that Severus was very happy to host them there, as he was enjoying their company. Claire Bonnay had arrived at the end of August as agreed and soon fitted into the dynamics of the amalgamated Prince/Granger household. She and Helen got on very well together and Claire was perfectly happy to teach both children.

Severus brewed the magical heritage potion and it was soon proven that Hermione was indeed the three times great-niece of Hector Dagworth-Granger, a contemporary of Severus' old potions professor, Horace Slughorn, and potentially a useful contact for Severus when he tried to establish himself as a Potions Master under the name of Rennard Prince. Hector Dagworth-Granger was delighted to find that his brother's great-great-granddaughter had turned out to be magical. Severus had already begun teaching Harry and Hermione basic potions and Hector, who was the founder of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, was thrilled to learn of Hermione's keen interest in the subject.

In truth, Hermione was like a sponge and soaked up everything that she was taught, no matter what the subject area was. Severus could tell that she was going to be a very capable and quite powerful witch, no matter in which direction her interests ultimately led her. Harry was less focused than Hermione, which Severus understood was the result of his early years living in a house-elf's cupboard, but Hermione, although very powerful herself, could not come close to Harry in terms of raw power. In fact, Severus suspected that when Harry was grown, his magical power would far outstrip that of Albus Dumbledore. Both children very quickly picked up what they were being taught but Harry was an instinctive learner and understood better from physically doing, while Hermione's logical mind learned better from first gaining an understanding of the relevant theory. The children balanced each other out perfectly and were a joy to teach. All four adults — Severus, John, Helen and Claire — took great satisfaction from the children's development.

When Harry and Hermione reached the age of eleven, it was decided to send the children to the Catius Pater School of Magic in Switzerland. The idea of sending them to Hogwarts never crossed any of the parents' minds and, while Beauxbatons was a very good school, the Catius Pater School of Magic was preferable. Not only was it local but, unlike Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, the pupils were able to weekly board, coming home at the weekends. It had an unrivalled reputation for excellence and it was extremely hard to get into, as only the brightest and most academic of children were accepted. Harry and Hermione were welcomed with open arms, however, after the Headmistress, Allegra Lehrer, had met the two children. Not only had Headmistress Lehrer been very impressed with both their intelligence and their magical ability, she had also sympathised with Severus' desire to keep the children away from Albus Dumbledore. After a highly successful meeting with the Headmistress, both children were enrolled in the exclusive school and were greatly looking forward to attending.

Towards the end of Harry and Hermione's first year at Catius Pater, Severus received some horrific news from Britain, which made him even happier that he had not enrolled Harry in Hogwarts. Although James and Lily Potter had done their best to keep Charlie away from Dumbledore's influence, the old man's obsession with Voldemort had terrible results. Dumbledore had decided to test Charlie Potter and his best friends, Neville Longbottom and Ronald Weasley, to determine the fitness of the supposed Boy-Who-Lived to face the Dark Lord, who he still believed would return.

Dumbledore had hidden the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts and through the groundskeeper, Hagrid, a kindly, loyal and well-meaning man who was constitutionally incapable of keeping a secret, had dropped enough hints to the boys to stir their interest in the mysterious object hidden in Hogwarts Castle. The other professors had refused to assist Dumbledore in his plan, all being convinced that the Dark Lord was dead. They had thought that without their cooperation, Dumbledore would put aside his crazy plan but, unfortunately, this only made him all the more determined and he proceeded without their knowledge or assistance.

The boys had to navigate a series of dangerous obstacles. They had to pass a Cerberus, which was an extremely large and savage three-headed guard dog, and an Acromantula, which was a highly venomous giant spider with a taste for human flesh. They also had to navigate the types of traps one would expect to find in the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings — falling boulders, moving walls, pits full of spikes and other such challenges. They even had to solve a potions riddle, which would allow them to identify the correct potion to allow them to pass safely through a wall of fire, the other possible selections being various poisons. Charlie Potter had been killed, Ronald Weasley had suffered permanent brain damage and Neville Longbottom had received physical injuries from which he might never fully recover.

Hagrid had been devastated at what had happened to the three boys and was let off with a warning regarding keeping dangerous pets, since it was understood that he was just a very simple man who was devoted to and therefore easily led astray by Albus Dumbledore. Hogwarts Castle, the grounds and the surrounding Forbidden Forest were cleansed of all Hagrid's dangerous pets and he was given strict instructions on the type of animals he was allowed to keep in future, with the Care of Magical Creatures Professor promising to monitor him carefully.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, was arrested. The parents of the three boys were all spitting fire. Even James and Lily, who were devastated at the loss of their son, managed to rouse themselves from the depths of their grief for long enough to deal with Dumbledore. Severus was just surprised that the various parents and Sirius Black, Charlie's godfather, had not ripped the man limb from limb. It was apparently only due to the quick actions of two of the Hogwarts Heads of House, Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout, that saw Albus Dumbledore arrested and removed from the castle before the six parents had a chance to aim their wands at the old fool.

Because of the seriousness of what had happened, the goblins of Gringotts, with Severus' permission, released selected memories to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Head of the Department of Mysteries, who had both promised never to reveal or to act upon what they would learn in these memories. The memories saw the goblins using the Horcrux quill to verify the existence of other Horcruxes, the destruction of each one and the banishing ritual, whereby the final piece of Voldemort's soul had been banished to Tartarus. The memories were very powerful and the Head Unspeakable and Amelia Bones, who was now the Head of the DMLE, were left in no doubt that Voldemort was dead and would not be returning to this plane of existence. These memories were the final nail in Dumbledore's coffin. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban wizarding prison, with his magic bound so that he could not escape. However, at the age of one hundred and eleven, the shock of where he found himself and the harsh conditions were too much for the old meddler and he quickly faded and passed away, much to Severus' secret relief.

The Potters and Longbottoms both had younger children. When Charlie Potter died, Edmund Longbottom, who became very protective of his older brother after Neville's accident, was seven years old, Ruby Potter five, Daisy Longbottom four and Liam Potter two. Neville was sent to Beauxbatons the following school year and the four younger Potter and Longbottom children followed him there when it was their turn to attend school, even though Dumbledore was no longer at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, the Weasleys were unable to afford to send their children elsewhere, having received scholarships to send all seven of their children to Hogwarts. They had been awarded damages from Dumbledore's estate but these funds were mainly put aside for Ronald's ongoing care, as he now had the mental capacity of a five year old and would remain that way for the rest of his life. As his parents aged, they would use that money to employ someone to be Ronald's long-term companion and care-giver.

Filius Flitwick had been appointed the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, passing over Minerva McGonagall who, as Deputy, had been next in line. Minerva was deemed too much of a Dumbledore sycophant by the Board of Governors, even though she had refused to assist in the old man's plans for Charlie Potter. Filius wanted to appoint Pomona Sprout as Deputy Head; however, as the Herbology Professor, she had additional duties in the school greenhouses, on top of her duties as a teacher and Head of House, and had neither the time nor the inclination to take on the duties of Deputy Head as well. Reluctantly, Filius left Minerva in place but made it very clear she was on probation. The fiery witch was furious at his warning but had been horrified at the tragedy that had befallen her three Gryffindor cubs and privately had to admit that Filius had a point. Minerva never stopped blaming herself for not standing up to Dumbledore more.

Claire never realised her dream of opening a primary school. Six months after Nathaniel Granger was born, Claire married Severus, and the blissfully happy couple had three children in quick succession. The new Madam Prince spent the Granger and Prince children's early years tutoring them herself but when the youngest started Catius Pater, she began teaching there part-time, much to the bemusement of Severus. He had hated teaching and could not understand the appeal. However, his wife was a truly gifted teacher and Allegra Lehrer counted herself lucky to have Claire on staff, earmarking the younger woman as her own potential successor.

Severus requalified as a Potions Master under the sponsorship of Potions Master Hector Dagworth-Granger. His undoubted skill and natural talent for potions had Hector waiving the requirement to spend a minimum of two years apprenticed to a Master. If Hector was being truly honest with himself, Rennard Prince was a far greater Potions Master than he would ever be. With input and feedback from Hector Dagworth-Granger and his network of contacts, Severus eventually managed to achieve a permanent cure for lycanthropy. Severus, who had taken over management of the family company, Prince Industries, added a potions division to the company, which he called Salubritas. He focused on research and development and employed journeymen and apprentices to do the actual brewing.

Their younger children, Daddys' girls all, followed more closely in their father's footsteps. Laurel attained a Mastery in Arithmancy, which she put to good use in Prince Industries, both assisting in the research and development department and in managing the family investment portfolio; Bryony became a Potions Mistress and Jessamine a Herbologist, both working in Salubritas. All three girls were delighted to work with their father after qualifying in their various professions. Nathaniel Granger, on the other hand, after years of patching up the scrapes of the three younger girls, took after his delighted parents and became a magical Healer.

Harry and Hermione never lost the connection that they had experienced the moment they first met and, to no one's surprise, they married once they finished school. Hermione had continued to soak up magical theory throughout her schooling and had already begun experimenting with spell-crafting at the age of fourteen. Her keen intellect and her strong interest in the theory behind magic put her on the Swiss Department of Mysteries' radar and she was recruited by them as soon as she turned seventeen and was of age in the wizarding word. Hermione insisted on finishing her final year at school but managed to undertake a few projects for the Department of Mysteries all the while finishing her schooling, gaining exceptional results in her final exams, even by Catius Pater's standards. Hermione, who never lost her fascination with the theory of magic, rose rapidly through the ranks and became Head Unspeakable at an unprecedentedly early age. Switzerland's young Head Unspeakable quickly gained the respect of most Departments of Mysteries around the world.

Harry was an equally talented but less enthusiastic student — although, to be fair, very few students were as enthusiastic as Hermione! He had been a passionate and skilled Quidditch player while at school but chose not to turn professional. He had discovered within himself an affinity for working with wood, and with his tendency towards practical magic over theoretical, and his passion for Quidditch, had already designed a revolutionary racing broom even before he left school. Under the umbrella of Prince Industries, he founded his own broom company, Zephyros, which made everything from beginner training brooms up to top-of-the-line racing brooms. The Zephyros brooms soon became the standard brooms of many international Quidditch teams, and quickly became known as the best in the world.

After Dumbledore's death, Severus had considered coming back to life again but he realised that he was far happier as Rennard Prince than he had ever been as Severus Snape, even if he no longer had the distinction of being the youngest Potions Master to qualify in Britain in over three hundred years. His family was flourishing and he revelled in working so closely with his children and children-in-law — the three girls' husbands all ended up joining Prince Industries as well — and the formerly dour, ill-tempered and joyless man could not believe how much his life had changed for the better.

_Adopting Harry was the best thing that ever happened to me. He has brought so much joy and happiness into my life. For all that I'm justifiably proud of my achievements as a Potions Master, nothing makes me prouder or happier than being a husband and father,_ he said to himself every day in wonder.

.o.O.o.

⁹ As a child, I loved the book _Daddy Long-Legs (1912)_ by Jean Webster. I recently read the sequel, _Dear Enemy (1915)_, for the first time and was horrified to read the main protagonist describing children with disabilities as _defective_. However, that truly was the attitude of the time. Not out of cruelty but because people genuinely didn't know any better. My perception of Potterverse is that Squibs are magically disabled and the wizarding world's attitude towards them can be likened to that of our unfortunate attitudes not so long ago towards those who are disabled.

.o.O.o.

Thank you to everyone who reviwed, alerted and followed this story. I appreciate each and every one of you.


End file.
